The Denver Nuggets walked out of Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a 93-104 win over the Miami Heat. The Nuggets controlled the game from tip to buzzer and enjoyed a 20-point lead for the majority of the second half.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray both dominated, with Jokic scoring 27 points with 10 rebounds and 14 assists, and Murray had 26 points and 10 assists. Jimmy Butler struggled mightily, scoring just 13 points on 42.9% shooting. Fans reacted to Game 1 with mixed reactions.
4th quarter comeback fell short
Back for Game 2 on Sunday pic.twitter.com/hk0C5El8si
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 2, 2023
One fan joked about the series already being dead due to the poor performances of the Heat players.
https://t.co/oZtyNOIdDO pic.twitter.com/C34LtQlK4G
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) June 2, 2023
Jokic’s passing display tonight reminded fans of Magic Johnson as Jokic disassembled the Heat defense.
Jokic out there in Game 1:#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/GHjOjldxOY
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 2, 2023
Fans loved Jokic’s performance and praised it heavily after the game.
https://twitter.com/IaintIsiah/status/1664462896900841476
Jimmy Butler was locked down by Aaron Gordon on the night and it exposed the lack of versatility in his offensive skill set.
Jimmy Butler has one move, that weak ass pump fake. All AG gotta do is stand there with his hands up and he’s cooked
— omo von doom (@yungmustard23) June 2, 2023
Butler has been inconsistent in his performances since the first round of the playoffs, and fans are finally asking for more accountability on his part.
We can talk shooting, we can talk defense
But Jimmy Butler needs to be better at this stage of the playoffs
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) June 2, 2023
Haywood Highsmith ended the night with 18 points off the bench, outscoring Butler.
https://twitter.com/IQfor3/status/1664461510117060608
Caleb Martin and Max Strus combined to shoot 1-17 after their amazing performances in the Celtics series win.
Caleb Martin and Max Strus when they're not playing the Celtics.pic.twitter.com/tr9XRu0Rxi
— Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) June 2, 2023
Bam Adebayo had a strong night with 26 points and 13 rebounds. It just wasn’t enough to outgun both Jokic and Murray, along with 16 points from Aaron Gordon and 14 points from Michael Porter Jr.
Jimmy Butler Needs To Respond In Game 2
This game ended as an 11-point loss due to a late outburst from Haywood Highsmith, but Heat never looked like they could win this game. That was primarily due to Jimmy Butler’s inability to consistently fight off matchups with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., and primarily, Aaron Gordon. With players off the bench like Bruce Brown, Denver has a lot of weapons to throw at the Heat beyond their two stars in Jokic and Murray.
Butler needs to be the one to find a way to create offense for Miami, given how threadbare they have been all playoffs long. Strus and Martin are role-players who will have off nights; it’s on Butler to carry them through the playoffs by putting up big numbers.
He averaged 37.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists during the first round. There’s a serious drop-off after that, as Butler has averaged 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in the last two rounds, showing he hasn’t been as impactful as many have said. He still has a chance to change that in Game 2.
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