The Denver Nuggets were able to win Game 3 over the Miami Heat, thanks to heroic performances from these three key players.
The Denver Nuggets were able to beat the Miami Heat,109-94 in a crucial Game 3 on the road to reclaim homecourt advantage. This game wasn't really close in the second half, with the Nuggets flirting with a blowout until late in the fourth quarter when the Heat made a little bit of a comeback.
Still, the Nuggets' offense was able to produce enough to win the game and take a 2-1 series lead.
Game 3 heroes for the Denver Nuggets:
3. Christian Braun
Over the last two games, Braun has made his impact felt on the defensive end. In this game, he also was hot from the floor in addition to his defensive work. He ended up with 15 points on 87 percent shooting from the floor, with a steal as well.
Braun was a sparkplug for this team. Michael Porter Jr. hasn't really been able to produce in this series. In the last two games, Braun has been able to make some of the offensive difference that Porter would have created. For a rookie who got a DNP in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals series, and only played 8 minutes in Game 1 of the Finals, this is a really good development for the Nuggets.
2, Jamal Murray
He ended up taking some bad shots from right inside the right 3-point arc but he was very good in this game. Even though Jimmy Butler had his best game of the series so far, Murray ended up being the second-best offensive player on the court for either team.
Murray was really good feeding off of Jokic in this game on his way to 30 points. He also ended up with 9 rebounds and 10 assists. As a secondary creator, he was an enormous difference.
1. Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic was amazing in this game. In terms of how he played in Game 3, he played like a Bill Walton in the Portland Trail Blazers' late 70s offense. He was a bit more aggressive from the floor than Walton was, but this was pretty much a clean copy. Of course, this isn't anything new for the two-time MVP but in Game 2 he wasn't able to play like that.
Jokic ended up with 10 assists and 20 rebounds. He also had 30+ points on very solid shooting. He controlled the board in this game and was able to find passing lanes for the rest of Denver's offense. If those two things happen going forward in this series, then it will be a clean five-game gentleman's sweep. The Heat need to step up on the boards in Game 4 at the very least to avoid a 3-1 deficit heading back to Denver
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