Miami Heat

The Nuggets took a 2-1 lead in the series, winning Game 3 with the help of two historic triple-doubles from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. It was the first time in NBA Finals history that two teammates posted a 30-point triple-double, which spoke volumes for Denver’s dominance on Thursday.

Jokic and Murray got all the attention in the Game 3 win, and rightfully so, but rookie Christian Braun needed more attention as he came off the bench for 15 pts for the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Bruce Brown combined for just 13 points, and of course, Braun’s performance helped Murray and Jokic’s stellar performances. And in Game 3, his offense helped Denver to a clutch win. He probably won’t put up those productive numbers again in this series, as he went 7-for-8 from the field, but he’s undoubtedly an option coach Michael Malone can rely on if his regular role players struggle again.

Game 3 showed how much Miami missed Tyler Herro. Butler and Adebayo pulled out all the stops to try and get Miami to win this game, but you will only win a few games when your other three starters combined to go 5-for-22 from the field. The latest news of Herro’s injury suggests he won’t be ready for Game 4, meaning the Heat will need Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, and Duncan Robinson to step up if they have any chance of tying this series. Miami’s one win in this series was mainly due to its tough defense against Jokic, but they can’t rely on consistently trying to stop the two-time MVP. At some point, the Heat will need to score consistently to get back into this series.

Unsurprisingly, the Nuggets proved to be the deeper team in their Game 3 win. For this reason, Denver will win Game 4.