Nuggets stars restore order in Finals with help from a hidden gem
Listen 6 min Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share
MIAMI — The Miami Heat knows better than anyone how unheralded role players can transform into postseason heroes. For more than two months, the Heat has knocked off a growing list of higher-seeded teams with unexpected scoring explosions from Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Duncan Robinson. Coach Erik Spoelstra is fond of noting that Jimmy Butler’s supporting cast makes up for its anonymity with “ignitability.”
But Christian Braun gave the Heat a taste of its own medicine Wednesday, delivering a postseason career-high 15 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 109-94 Game 3 victory at Kaseya Center. Taking advantage of an enhanced role with timely baseline cuts and energetic defense, the 22-year-old rookie guard from Kansas helped Denver regain home-court advantage after its uninspired showing in Game 2.
“Us losing a game at home for the first time in the postseason and playing the way we did, maybe that's a wake-up call,” Nuggets Coach Michael Malone said.
Advertisement
The wild swings of momentum that marked the first two games at Denver’s Ball Arena gave way early on to a tighter and more intense contest. The Nuggets and Heat played even through the first 12 minutes and never managed to generate real separation by halftime. Perhaps the stakes of the championship series finally set in: Many of the complementary scorers on both sides struggled to make much of an offensive impact, leaving the stars to do most of the heavy lifting.
That dynamic suited Jamal Murray just fine. He rediscovered his scoring touch after a quiet Game 2, netting 20 points before halftime despite facing full-court pressure at times. The 26-year-old guard came out firing, and he looked to call his own number in Miami’s most threatening moments. When the crowd erupted in response to a Bam Adebayo putback dunk over Nikola Jokic late in the second quarter, Murray briskly came up the court to drain a three-pointer and restore silence.
Denver finally built some breathing room by scoring the first six points of the third quarter, opening up the game’s first double-digit spread. Murray and Jokic then took turns holding off the Heat, which couldn’t replicate its hot outside shooting from Game 2. Midway through the third, as Miami sought to close a growing gap, Murray claimed a loose ball in the paint and dropped in a touch shot over the defense. When Butler drilled a three-pointer to give the crowd life, a steely Jokic replied immediately with a three-pointer on the other end.
Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists to register his 10th triple-double of the playoffs, while Murray added a triple-double of his own with a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Advertisement
“By far their greatest performance as a duo in their seven years together,” Malone said. “I’ve always felt they’re one of the most elite and lethal two-man combos in the league. That was on display tonight. A lot of guys play with each other. These guys play for each other.”
Jokic’s 30-20-10 triple-double was the first of its kind in NBA Finals history.
“It speaks for itself,” Murray said. “He’s making it look so easy. I’m running out of things to say.”
Without its own outside shooters clicking, the Heat couldn’t find enough ways to offset the Nuggets’ size advantage. Butler led the way with 28 points, but the Heat shot just 11 for 35 on three-pointers and had only three players score in double figures. Miami will aim to square the series in Friday’s Game 4.
“We lost a lot of physical 50-50 balls and ball on the floor battles,” Spoelstra said. “In key moments and potential swing moments, [the Nuggets] were coming up with those plays. That made it too much to overcome.”
Advertisement
In a reprisal of the series opener, Jokic and Aaron Gordon pummeled away to outscore Miami 60-34 in the paint. This time, though, Malone made his first significant rotation change of the series by de-emphasizing forward Michael Porter Jr., who remained mired in a shooting slump and logged only 21 minutes, in favor of Braun and Bruce Brown.
The shift helped Denver find a badly needed third scorer in Braun, the 21st pick in last year’s draft after he won an NCAA title with the Jayhawks and three Kansas high school championships at Blue Valley Northwest High.
“I have to give Christian a lot of love,” Malone said. “He did not look like a rookie. If you look around, there’s not many rookies playing meaningful minutes this time of year. He’s stayed ready: mentally, physically, emotionally. A very cool, calm and collected young man. He’s very confident, and he should be. He’s everything we hoped for and more.”
Advertisement
Braun found seams on the back side to beat Miami’s overloading defense, and he helped Denver end the third quarter on a high note by following up a runner in traffic with a steal and an emphatic transition dunk. His night only got better in the fourth, when he flipped in two more shots in traffic to finish 7 for 8 from the field and score in double figures for the first time during this playoff run.
Back-to-back buckets from Braun 💪🔥 pic.twitter.com/CwYUqUlNqS — NBA TV (@NBATV) June 8, 2023
Jokic downplayed his historic triple-double as “just a stat,” instead asserting that Braun “won us the game” with his “energy, focus and mind-set.”
“[Jokic and Murray] make it really easy,” Braun said. “They make the right play every time. You’ve just got to stay ready for the ball, and it found me in some pretty easy spots. My job is not very hard. I just have to come in and play with energy.”
Braun’s breakout came after he didn’t score a single point in the Western Conference finals or Game 1 of the Finals. With Denver facing the possibility of trailing in a series for the first time this postseason, Braun scored as many points in Game 3 as he had combined in Denver’s previous eight games.
Advertisement
“This is a rare rookie,” Gordon said. "He’s always in the right spot. He’s been doing that from day one. He’s in the right place at the right time on the biggest stage.”
The Nuggets needed the extra jolt Braun provided early in the final period after getting outplayed in the fourth quarter in the first two games and receiving scant contributions from Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who combined to shoot just 2 for 11 from the field. With the added boost from their baby-faced rookie, Jokic and Murray had enough left in the tank to close out the road victory.
“Good win for us, but we did not come down here to get one win,” Malone said.
GiftOutline Gift Article
Source: The Washington Post
