The mastery of the paint, the certainty in field goals and the combination of five players with double figures in points, gave the Denver Nuggets the perfect conjugation to overcome the seasoned Miami Heat in the first game of the final series.
In this way, the Nuggets raised the number of consecutive victories in the current postseason when they participate as locals, in addition to increasing the number of successive victories when they receive the visit of the Miamians in the last seven years.
We have to go back as far as November 30, 2016 to find the most recent time the Heats landed a successful trip to the city of Denver. Then they finished with the victory with a tight score of 106 units against 98.
They’ve outscored the Nuggets two other times, but split between the Orlando bubble and home turf.
On March 19, 2018, the Heat quintet took advantage of the “advantages” assigned by the house to win (149-141) against the visiting Nuggets.
While, with the calendar passing the date of August 1, 2020, those led by Erik Spoelstra overwhelmed those of Denver (125-105) in the celebration of the bubble.
Since this last matchup, the Nuggets have accumulated a six-game winning streak against the Heat in the regular season; including three made at the altitude of the capital of Colorado.
FINALS
With the jump to the center to open the final series, the Nuggets started the engines to defend the house and win 104-93 against the Heats. And with this, they transfer to the playoff stage the dominance they have held against the Miamians in recent times.
A dynamic offense allowed Denver to get the win, receiving contributions from Nikola Jokic with 27 points and 10 rebounds, followed by guiding his teammates with 14 passes that ended in baskets.
Guard Jamal Murray was another notable contributor, maintaining his scoring consistency this postseason after scoring 26 points with 10 assists.
The step forward experienced by Aaron Gordon (16 points, 6 rebounds) and Michael Porter Jr. (14 points, 13 sacks), are written as great lights on Thursday night.
And, as a substitute, forward Bruce Brown offered quality minutes after a day of 10 baskets.
The finals of the best basketball in the world will be resuming next Sunday when the clock strikes 8:00 pm The Nuggets return to the court at home, while the Heats try to push away the ghosts of the past.