The Nuggets claim the series opener against the Heat without having to lean heavily on Nikola Jokic, even as he ended up leading the way. NBAFinals
Nikola Jokic finished off another triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists and Jamal Murray scored 26 points and dished out 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets made a statement in their first ever NBA Finals game, rolling to a 104-93 victory against the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday, June 1 .
Jokic wound up 8 of 12 from the field after taking just five shots through three quarters. He extended his NBA single-year record with his ninth triple-double of the playoffs. Bam Adebayo amassed 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat, but Jimmy Butler was held to 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting. The No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference failed to win the opener of a series on the road for the first time in four tries.
Jokic was content to occupy the role of playmaker in the first quarter, not taking his first shot from the field until 3.3 seconds remained. He made the close-range shot as Denver took a 29-20 lead at the end of the opening period.
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