Overcoming Nikola Jokic's 41 points, Miami Heat equalized the NBA Finals 2023 score
There was a time when the Denver Nuggets took the initiative in Game 2 NBA Finals.
They took advantage of home field advantage to overcome a slow start, creating a 35-11 run to take a 15 point lead in the second half. But then a familiar scenario occurred when Nikola Jokic and his teammates did not keep the game in the 4th half.
Different from Game 1 where Denver had a 21-point lead and survived the Miami Heat's 8-0 streak, this time they had an 8-point lead and were unable to stand.
From a 75-83 lead, the Miami Heat created a 17-4 run to take a 5-point lead. This number was pulled to 11 in the middle of the 4th half thanks to the help of a series of Heat players such as Duncan Robinson (scoring 10 points in more than 2 minutes), Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Denver had a bit of a resurgence at the end of the half with the individual brilliance of Nikola Jokic and especially Jamal Murray with 2 difficult 3-pointers. When the gap between the two teams remained 3 points, Jimmy Butler missed and gave the Nuggets the opportunity to equalize.
Unfortunately, Jamal Murray failed to hit the third consecutive 3-pointer against Butler's tackle, closing Game 2 with a 111-108 victory for the Miami Heat. After two matches, NBA Finals 2023 currently has a 1-1 draw.
Three different Miami Heat players hit the 20+ mark in Game 2. Jimmy Butler scored 21 points with 9 assists. Bam Adebayo has 21 points with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.
The leader is Gabe Vincent with 23 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. The 26-year-old pitcher has a long throw success rate of up to 67%, achieving 4-6 3PT and 8-12 FG in 32 minutes of play.
As for the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic had an extremely outstanding game on an individual basis with 11 rebounds, 4 assists and scored 41 points (16-28 FG, 57%). Strangely, in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, every time Jokic scored over 40 points, Denver could not win.
Behind the Serbian bigman are Jamal Murray (18 points, 10 assists, 3-8 3PT) and Aaron Gordon (12 points, 7 rebounds, 5-7 FG). Bruce Brown is the outstanding name remaining with 11 points when coming on from the bench.
Compared to Game 1, the big difference in Game 2 was the Miami Heat's success rate of 3-pointers. From 13-39 3PT (33%) in the previous match, Miami improved to 17-35 3PT (48.6%) in the second match.
Not only getting used to the playing environment in Denver better, but coach Erik Spoelstra and his team seem to have found a more effective attack plan, improving both the long throw ratio and the total FG ratio (from 40.6 to 40.6). % to 48.7% FG).
Another difference is the number of free throws that the Miami Heat are awarded. Heat had 18-20 FT at Game 2 compared to just 2-2 FT at Game 1.
See some more statistics about the match below:
Miami Heat's Game 2 NBA Finals 2023 victory ended the Denver Nuggets' unbeaten streak in the Playoffs, also a rare home defeat that Nikola Jokic and his teammates had to receive.
After two games in the Denver highlands, the NBA Finals 2023 series will move to the coastal city of Miami with Games 3 and 4, both taking place this week.
Game 3 will tip-off at 7:30 on Thursday, June 8, then Game 4 will take place at 7:30 on Saturday, June 10.
