Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (C) looks to pass as Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent (L) and Kyle Lowry (R). Photo: EPA
Miami - Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray carved out a slice of NBA history on Wednesday, both notching 30-point triple-doubles as the Denver Nuggets downed the Miami Heat 109-94 to regain the upper hand in the NBA Finals.
"I think it's the first time in Finals history, or maybe NBA history, that two guys have 30-10 triple-doubles, so that's incredible right there," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of his star duo's feat.
They're the first teammates to post triple-doubles in the same Finals game, and the first teammates to each post 30-point triple-doubles in the same game -- regular season or playoffs.
Malone called it incredible, but he wasn't surprised.
"Regarding Nikola, nothing he does surprises me, ever," Malone said of the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player from Serbia.
"He makes it look so easy," added Murray of Jokic. "Just free throws, his touch, his creativity, his no-look passes, his IQ. I could go down the line. He's a special, special player."
NIKOLA JOKIC DROPS THE FIRST 30-20-10 GAME IN NBA FINALS HISTORY‼️
— ESPN (@espn) June 8, 2023
Incredible. pic.twitter.com/6zkXzRgQka
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra noted the synergy between Jokic and Murray, which Murray said was born of trust.
"I'd say it's a trust and a feel, that's the best way for me to put it," he said. "It's not really X's and O's. It's just reading the game and trusting that the other is going to make the right play.
"If he throws it to me, he knows and expects what to see from me, and he knows the mood I'm in, the intensity I'm playing with, whether it's low or high, time and score, and vice versa.
"I know when he's overpassing, I know when he's looking to score, I know when he's the best player on the floor, I know when he's taking a second to get into the game.
“You are the first person in NBA History to have a 30-20-10 NBA Finals game. What does that mean to you?”
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 8, 2023
Nikola Jokic: “I mean to be honest, not much…I’m just glad we won the game .”
pic.twitter.com/7tNXrwqykh
I think it's just a feel and a trust that we're going to figure it out, and it's a lot of unselfishness, like I keep bringing that up. It's free flowing."
Jokic said it boiled down to the respect that has developed between the two over the course of seven years.
"He's playing phenomenal, I think, the whole playoff," Jokic said of Murray. "His energy is amazing, and we are just following."
But Jokic said the Nuggets are more than a two-man band -- and must be if they want to lift the first NBA title in franchise history.
"It's not just us," he said. "Like I said even before the series started, Denver Nuggets need to beat Miami, not me and Jamal and whoever is on the other side. We as a group need to beat them."
Nikola Jokic in the NBA Finals
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 8, 2023
33.3 points
14 rebounds
9.3 assists
61.5 2PT%
44.4 3PT%
85.7 FT%
First player in Finals history with a 30/20/10 game tonight.
Jokic: “I don’t care. It’s just a stat.”
pic.twitter.com/VRzFL4jLnU
With that in mind, Jokic wasn't disposed to dwell on his historic stat line or ponder whether he agreed with Malone that Wednesday's game was his and Murray's "greatest performance as a duo in their seven years together."
"I don't know. We're just trying to win a game right now," Jokic said. "We can think about that later."
AFP
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