Heat seek way to stop Denver's dynamic duo Jokic and Murray

Agence France Presse

<p>MIAMI, United States - Versatile big man Nikola Jokic and sharpshooter Jamal Murray have combined to lift the Denver Nuggets two wins from an NBA title, adding to the pressure upon the Miami Heat.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🏆 GAME 3 FINAL SCORE 🏆<br/><br/>DEN: 109<br/>MIA: 94<br/><br/>Denver improves to 2-1 in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/YouTubeTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YouTubeTV</a>! <a href="https://t.co/aTUhKql1dt">pic.twitter.com/aTUhKql1dt</a></p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1666642060827410435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2023</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Jokic had 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists while Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 109-94 Nuggets&#x27; victory that gave Denver a 2-1 lead entering Friday&#x27;s fourth game in the best-of-seven championship series.</p><p>Jokic has defied defensive matchups for years, passing to teammates when rivals deny him good shots, and his versatility allows him to set up Murray for scoring chances as well.</p><p>&quot;They&#x27;re a dynamic duo. We got to bring our best effort,&quot; Heat guard Gabe Vincent said. &quot;Jokic is a pretty good screener. He typically makes contact with the primary defender pretty well. Jamal can score in a number of ways. He puts pressure on guys immensely.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/08/23/nba-denver-coach-says-game-3-was-their-best-in-series">NBA: Denver coach says Game 3 was their best in series</a></li></ul><p>For Serbian center Jokic, thwarting rivals has become like moving pieces on a chessboard.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s just like bringing a chess game. They are one move, we are another move. I think this is the time where the players show what they&#x27;ve got,&quot; Jokic said Thursday.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s cool just to see different solutions, how different players think and how some players are reacting a certain way.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5_wL0QrJT_M?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Miami coach Erik Spoelstra has some new moves in mind to checkmate the Nuggets and their deadly duo.</p><p>&quot;Those two guys can manipulate your defense in different ways,&quot; he said. &quot;Whatever you do, you just can&#x27;t do it all the time.</p><p>&quot;Understanding what they&#x27;re trying to get to, we try to get them out of their comfort zones as much as possible. They really got to that two-man action quite a bit.</p><p>&quot;Game four could be different. They may go to a different part of their menu. Whatever it is, we have to find a way to get the job done.&quot;</p><p>That puts the load on Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.</p><p>&quot;We got some of the great two-way players in this game, Jimmy and Bam. We&#x27;re going to figure it out,&quot; vowed Miami&#x27;s Haywood Highsmith. &quot;We&#x27;ll be ready for them.&quot;</p><p>Murray benefits from picks and passes from 7-footer Jokic as he works his versatile magic.</p><p>&quot;He&#x27;s strong. He has got amazing touch, IQ, passing. He does a great job of just picking his spots,&quot; Murray said. &quot;He&#x27;s up there with the greats.</p><p>&quot;To be able to pick teams apart with his passing and scoring and timely passing is really tough to stop.&quot;</p><p>Nobody knows that more than Butler.</p><p>&quot;He&#x27;s a hell of a player. He has been very dominant everywhere on the floor,&quot; Butler said. &quot;You&#x27;ve just got to do everything you can to stay between him and the basket.&quot;</p><div><strong>Backs against the wall</strong></div><p>Jokic&#x27;s ability to weaponize teammates is more crucial than his ability to shoot 3-pointers or dominate inside, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/31/23/quiet-man-jokic-ready-for-crowning-glory-in-nba-finals">Quiet man Jokic ready for crowning glory in NBA Finals</a></li></ul><p>&quot;It&#x27;s not just the three points that he is making, but the pressure and added layer he is putting against that defense,&quot; Malone said. &quot;It&#x27;s really fun to watch him pick, pop, drive to layup or make a play for somebody else.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s what defines him for me as a truly great player, his ability to make every one of his teammates better.&quot;</p><p>The Heat, however, have made a hobby of upending expectations, winning a play-in game just to reach the playoffs, then ousting NBA wins leader Milwaukee, New York and, after squandering a 3-0 series lead, Boston.</p><p>&quot;Tomorrow we&#x27;re going to come out with a lot more energy,&quot; Butler said. &quot;We&#x27;re going to compete at a high level. We&#x27;re going to get one at home.&quot;</p><p>The Nuggets are chasing the first title since the team joined the NBA in 1976. The Heat seek a fourth crown and first since 2013.</p><p>&quot;We know our backs are against the wall,&quot; Miami&#x27;s Kevin Love said. &quot;If we play our game, stay true to our concepts, we&#x27;re going to give ourselves a chance to win. If anybody is capable of it, we are.&quot;</p><div><strong>js/bb</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

Versatile big man Nikola Jokic and sharpshooter Jamal Murray have combined to lift the Denver Nuggets two wins from an NBA title, adding to the pressure upon the Miami Heat.

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Heat seek way to stop Denver's dynamic duo Jokic and Murray

Agence France Presse

Published Jun 09, 2023 09:10 AM PHT

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Updated Jun 09, 2023 02:54 PM PHT

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