The Miami Heat felt the full wrath of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The two Denver Nuggets stars combined for 53 points and 24 assists as they led their team to a blowout victory in the series-opener against a Heat team that pretty much had no answer for this dyanmic duo.
For his part, Heat veteran Kyle Lowry had nothing but high praise for the Jokic-Murray combination. So much so, that Lowry had to reference San Antonio Spurs legends Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in trying to describe the partnership of the Nuggets stars:
“Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, honestly,” Lowry said. “That's a great combination that I got an opportunity to play against. Jamal and Jokic, they're deadly because they both can score (and) pass the ball. They're big targets. They have a great feel for each other. That combination, they're very, very good.”
Reporter: "Is there another guard-big combo that you've played against that has the chemistry of [Nikola Jokic] and [Jamal] Murray."
Kyle Lowry: "Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, honestly… Jamal and Jokic, they're deadly."
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/fcQIn4kLxs
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 3, 2023
That's some pretty lofty praise from Lowry, but if you really think about it, the comparison actually makes a lot of sense. Jokic and Murray don't exactly have the same style of play as compared to Duncan and Parker, but in terms of their sheer dominance, you have to say that the similarities are there.
The one major difference, however, is that Duncan and Parker have won no less than four championships together with the Spurs. Jokic and Murray, on the other hand, are looking to win their first with the Nuggets this season — at the expense of Lowry and the Heat.
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