Just how good were Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for the Denver Nuggets in their 104-93 win in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat? So good, the two managed to come up with a performance the NBA had not seen in the Finals since 1987.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray become just the 2nd pair of teammates in Finals history with 25 points and 10 assists each 🤝 The last teammates to do this were Magic Johnson and James Worthy in 1987.
Nikola Jokic took just 12 shots but absolutely ripped apart the Heat's defense. He finished the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He shot 10-for-12 from the free-throw line and buried a 3-pointer in two attempts over the course of 40 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Murray torched Miami for 26 points and 10 assists. It was bucket after bucket for the Nuggets in Game 1, with the Heat coming up with zero answers to even slow down the two Denver stars. If this is the kind of performance Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray will have the rest of the series, it's not hard to imagine the Nuggets winning the series in the fastest way possible — via a sweep.
Jokic and Murray hardly were the only ones puncturing the heart of the Heat in the series opener, with guys like Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown, and Michael Porter Jr. doing plenty of damage as well. As a team, the Nuggets shot a combined 50.6 percent from the field and bulldozed their way to 46 points in the shaded area.
Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals will be on Sunday, still in Denver.
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