(Photo : Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) DENVER, COLORADO – Nikola Jokic (#15) of the Denver Nuggets warms up previous to Game One of the 2023 NBA Finals towards the Miami Heat at Ball Arena on June 01, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.
The Denver Nuggets didn’t disappoint of their first-ever sport within the NBA Finals, as they held off guests Miami Heat, 104-93, in Game 1 on the Ball Arena in Denver.
The Heat got here up with a livid rally on the finish, chopping the result in a single digit with two minutes left, however the Nuggets constructed up sufficient cushion to maintain the victory.
By grabbing his tenth rebound of the night time with 1:44 left on the clock, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic notched his ninth triple-double of the playoffs, extending the document for many in a single postseason.
Nikola Jokic notched a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut 😤 pic.twitter.com/egAGZO8Lb5
— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2023
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Nikola Jokic Brilliant in NBA Finals Debut
Jokic turned the second participant in historical past to place up double digits in three statistical classes of their Finals debut after Jason Kidd did the identical in 2002.
Nikola Jokic turns into the 2nd participant to document a triple-double of their Finals debut, becoming a member of Jason Kidd.
Kidd: 23 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST on 6/5/2002
Jokic: 27 PTS, 14 AST, 10 REB in Game 1 pic.twitter.com/ZqqsfmKtoQ
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) June 2, 2023
The Serbian’s 14 dimes are additionally the most-ever for a Finals debut.
The unicorn heart shouldn’t be the one Nugget to hitch the historical past books after the sequence opener. Shooting guard Jamal Murray additionally joined his teammate in an unique membership of gamers who put up 25+ factors, 5+ rebounds, and 10+ assists of their first Finals sport.
Jokic and Murray joined Michael Jordan in 1991 and Russell Westbrook in 2012 as the one gamers to do that feat.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are 2 of 4 gamers in NBA historical past to document 25+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 10+ AST in a Finals debut, becoming a member of:
Michael Jordan: 36 PTS, 8 REB, 12 AST on 06/02/1991
Russell Westbrook: 27 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST on 06/12/2012 pic.twitter.com/GiUeLHiQlM
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) June 2, 2023
The 6-foot-4 Canadian has been an elite sidekick to Jokic, averaging 27.6 factors, 6.4 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 16 video games within the 2023 playoffs. Murray contributed 26 factors, 6 boards, and 10 dimes for Denver tonight.
Game 2 will likely be held on Sunday in the identical constructing in Denver.
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