NBA finals Game 3: Denver Nuggets 109-94 Miami Heat – as it ...

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Final thoughts

Well, I predicted the Denver Nuggets would win, but I predicted it wouldn’t be a blowout. Give me partial credit, at least! Game 4 will be on Friday night where the pressure will be on Miami to tie up the series to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.

Make you sure you stick with us at the Guardian for further coverage of the 2023 NBA finals, but that will do it for today’s live blog. Thanks for all of you who followed along with us and everybody whose tweets I shamelessly borrowed when I couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. Ciao!

And after the game he gave the most serious, bored-sounding player interview I have heard immediately following an NBA finals victory. The Joker nickname is at least semi-ironic.

It was not premature, it turns out! The biggest difference maker for Denver was, of course, Nikola Jokić who ended up having a 32 point,21 rebound, 10 assist night and wasn’t even his team’s top scorer (Murray had 34).

That, as I said way back before the game, is the Denver formula and it’s a very successful one.

The Denver Nuggets have won Game 3 of the NBA Finals

The Denver Nuggets have that all-important 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals after blowing out the Miami Heat!

Nuggets 109-94 Heat, FINAL

Murray goes to the line and makes both free throws and then he does it again. At this point I’m rooting for Udonis Haslem to get into the game for Miami… and there he is!

That’s the fourth-quarter highlight for Miami because this game is over! The Nuggets win!

Nuggets 105-94 Heat, 1:14, 4th quarter

Caldwell-Pope to the line for two free throws. Everything’s decided but the final box score here.

Nuggets 103-94 Heat, 1:14, 4th quarter

Murray makes two free throws on the line. Robinson hits another three-point shot and that will improve his finally score.

And now things get chippy, there is an offensive foul on Murray for an elbow on Martin. In a closer game that’s probably a flagrant, but these refs want to go home.

Nuggets 101-91 Heat, 1:32, 4th quarter

Adebayo back on the free throw line, making both. The Miami fans are starting to file out here.

Duncan Robinson hits a three-pointer and Malone calls another timeout. Man, he’s really on his team, that’s him giving respect to this ridiculously dangerous Heat team but the comeback is not going to happen.

Nuggets 101-86 Heat, 2:00, 4th quarter

Murray fouls Butler, he makes both free throws on the line. We’re in garbage time folks. It’s 15-points, that’s a wrap.

Nuggets 101-84 Heat, 2:48, 4th quarter

Adebayo makes just one-for-two from the line. Murray scores on the other end. Miami has had no answers for Denver’s offense this entire half and it hasn’t really been competitive for some time.

Nuggets 99-83 Heat, 3:24, 4th quarter

Jokić gets close to the basket, leans back and knocks down a weird-looking but effective jumper. On the other end, he gets called for a foul. Denver calls a timeout, maybe this is just to discuss their after-game dinner plans because they don’t really need to do much more to win this game other than “not the turn the ball over”.

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) grabs a rebound over Heat forward Jimmy Butler. Photograph: Jim Rassol/USA Today Sports

Nuggets 97-83 Heat, 4:17, 4th quarter

Caldwell-Pope gets to the line and adds to the Nuggets total with two free throws. Lowry dives to the basket.

Tick, tick, tick…

Nuggets 95-81 Heat, 5:21, 4th quarter

Martin scores out of the timeout but the Heat just can’t get stops. Murray with another “we’re still in control” bucket. Vincent scores again for Miami but time is their enemy.

Then again, isn’t that true for all of us?

Nuggets 93-77 Heat, 6:35, 4th quarter

Christian Braun has 15 points off the bench, the Nuggets have a 16-point lead. You could say he’s been a difference maker.

Nuggets 93-77 Heat, 6:35, 4th quarter

Adebayo scores and back-to-back baskets is enough to cause Malone to call a timeout. This is one of those “put a foot on their throats now and don’t let them creep back in” TOs if I have to guess (and I kind of have to guess, it’s part of my job).

Nuggets 93-75 Heat, 7:25, 4th quarter

Lowry with a three-pointer. Good for him.

Let’s check in on My Improv Teacher.

This is why I asked her for permission to use her tweets, I could not have come up with “that angular twink.”

Nuggets 93-72 Heat, 8:28, 4th quarter

Christian Braun with another basket! This is now officially embarrassing for Miami, the kind of stuff they did against the Boston Celtics back in the Eastern Conference Finals It’s a 21-point lead and Spoelstra calls another timeout. It probably won’t matter!

Nuggets 91-72 Heat, 8:39, 4th quarter

Lowry hits one of his patented tough shots, like back in his Toronto Raptors days. Braun, however, gets fouled on a successful shot, setting up an old-timey three-point play.

Braun makes the free throw.

Nuggets 88-70 Heat, 9:19, 4th quarter

Jokić gets to the line yet again. This time he’s actually automatic, 2-for-2.

Nuggets 86-70 Heat, 9:30, 4th quarter

Jokić with another jumper, back to a 16-point lead. The clock ticks under the 10 minute mark.

Nuggets 84-70 Heat, 10:32, 4th quarter

Murray with a basket, the Nuggets will be okay with trading two-point possessions from here on out.

Nuggets 82-68 Heat, 11:06, 4th quarter

Brown picks up a foul that will put Adebayo on the line, giving Miami a chance to score without the clock moving, which could become key to the Heat’s chances here. Adebayo makes both free throws.

Nuggets 82-68 Heat, 12:00, 4th quarter

Sideline reporter to Spoelstra: What were the problems in the third quarter?

Spoelstra: (being very very patient: A little bit of everything.

And with that we start the 4th quarter, which might be entirely superfluous to the outcome. Let’s find out!

Nuggets 82-68 Heat, end of the 3rd quarter

Robinson hits a three-pointer and Butler hits a buzzer beater that helps chip away at the Denver lead but not enough to make the third quarter look at all respectable for Miami who will now need to hope for yet another fourth quarter meltdown by its opponent to escape with a win.

Nuggets 78-62 Heat, 42.1, 3rd quarter

Christian Braun makes two straight layups in 15 seconds, taking advantage of a Butler turnover and that feels like the ultimate humiliation for Miami.

Nuggets 78-62 Heat, 1:45, 3rd quarter

So far the Nuggets are not living up to my “not a blowout” prediction. This was such a competitive game through the first half, it looks completely different now.

After the timeout, Butler gets fouled and makes 1-of-2 free throws, which is great but that just makes it a 15-point deficit now.

Denver forward Aaron Gordon throws down a dunk. Photograph: Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports

Nuggets 78-62 Heat, 1:59, 3rd quarter

Butler with a jumper but it doesn’t matter, because Miami can’t get stops here. Braun makes a layup, Nuggets get a defensive stop, Caldwell-Pope hits a jumper.

I was about to scream “call a timeout,” but Spoelstra finally does. This feels like it’s slipping away before the Heat even have a shot at a fourth quarter comeback.

Nuggets 74-60 Heat, 3:32, 3rd quarter

Lowry fouls Jokić, who you don’t want on the line because he’s automatic.

Or not. He hits one of two free throws this time around.

Nuggets 73-60 Heat, 3:58, 3rd quarter

Butler hits a three-pointer but the Heat are just not going to get any separation here with Jokić in control. He hits a three right back. Heat keep running in place, at best.

Nuggets 70-57 Heat, 4:35, 3rd quarter

Porter Jr misses another shot, but Gordon somehow tips it in.

Nuggets 68-57 Heat, 5:29, 3rd quarter

Love attempts to block a Gordon shot, but gets called for a foul. He makes 1-of-2 free throws,

Nuggets 67-57 Heat, 6:16, 3rd quarter

Murray hits a shot. Love hits a three-pointer that at least gets the crowd back into it after a cold start to the second half for the Heat. Jokić, however, responds once more. 10-point game again.

Nuggets 63-54 Heat, 8:12, 3rd quarter

Murray finds Jokić who calms thing down by getting near the basket and scoring. Adebayo answers. Jokić hits a one-footed jumper. No time for trading baskets here for Miami.

Nuggets 59-52 Heat, 9:05, 3rd quarter

Butler with back-to-back baskets, benefitting from a rare Denver turnover.

I will not complain about these ad breaks if we keep seeing Olivia Colman content.

Nuggets 59-48 Heat, 9:47, 3rd quarter

Gordon with a dunk and it’s a double-digit lead! Spoelstra calls a timeout as it very much looks like the Heat did not do any halftime adjustments or, perhaps, made the wrong ones.