The Denver Nuggets have taken a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Nikola Jokic was the star of the show in Game 1, notching yet another triple-double. However, throughout the first three quarters, Jamal Murray was the main scoring threat.
In the first game, Murray had 26 points, despite not being at his very best. And if the team wants a chance to win the series, NBA analyst Kristian Winfield thinks Jimmy Butler will have to guard Jamal Murray.
“Jimmy Butler has to guard Jamal Murray at all times,” Winfield wrote for Daily News. “It’s the only way the Miami Heat will stand a fighting chance, now down 0-1 in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, courtesy of a 26-point effort from Murray in the Mile High City on Thursday.
“Yet, of Murray’s 22 field-goal attempts, Butler defended only two, and both were misses: a heavily contested stepback 2, and a contested pull-up 3 that clanked off left iron.
“Still, Miami seemed keen on sticking with starting point guard Gabe Vincent as Murray’s primary defender. Murray shot 7 of 9 from the field when defended by Vincent and got to the paint with ease all night.”
Jamal Murray made just two of his 7 three-point attempts in Game 1, and he will surely not shoot that poorly from range again. This change seems vital for Miami in that case, otherwise, Murray has the talent to not give them a chance during the series.
Jamal Murray And Nikola Jokic Are The Highest Scoring Playoff Duo Since Kobe Bryant And Shaquille O’Neal
Nikola Jokic is the primary option for the Denver Nuggets, he has scored at a high level these playoffs apart from grabbing rebounds and dishing out assists. But Jamal Murray tends to bear the scoring load in general, and he has also been scoring in bunches as well. This has them on course to become the highest-scoring playoff duo since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Frankly speaking, it is hard to see the Miami Heat being able to contain both of them. But Bam Adebayo has a chance to slow down Nikola Jokic, so Jimmy Butler needs to take the Nuggets’ other main scorer. If the Heat can pull that off, that will give them a chance to cause an upset in this series.
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