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The Miami Heat tied the 2023 NBA Finals series 1-1 on Sunday before the series shifts to their home building for Games 3 and 4. The Heat overturned a 15-point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108, handing Nikola Jokic and Co. their first home loss since March 30th.
The 2023 NBA Finals Game 3 will be on Wednesday, June 7th. The Heat will host the contest at the Kaseya Center. The game will begin at 8:30 pm ET, televised nationally by ABC. International fans can view the game via a subscription to NBA League Pass.
The Nuggets will hope to make the most of this three-day gap between the two games to bounce back. The Heat didn't dominate Game 2, but they came out with the win after making significant adjustments they could build off of moving forward.
The Heat did an excellent job of neutralizing Jamal Murray's threat as much as possible, enforcing an aggressive defensive scheme against the Nuggets' in-form point guard. He had only 10 points entering the fourth quarter. Murray finished with 18 points and 10 assists on 46.7% shooting.
The Miami Heat know they aren't well equipped to limit Nikola Jokic's threat due to his size and overall offensive package, so they were more than willing to play him one-on-one and take away his playmaking. Jokic only had four assists during the game, his lowest tally in these playoffs. Meanwhile, the Heat's role players got it going after an inefficient Game 1 outing.
The Miami Heat shot a whopping 17-of-35 from deep. Gabe Vincent scored a team-high 23 points, shooting 4-of-6 from deep and 8-of-12 overall. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo had 21 points apiece. The Heat's superstars also racked up a combined 13 assists as they trusted their supporting cast in crunch situations.
Max Strus and Duncan Robinson also got into their rhythm as the former scored 14 points, shooting four triples, while the latter had 10 points, all in the fourth, shooting 4-of-5.
Miami Heat overcome the odds again, steal homecourt advantage in NBA Finals
The Miami Heat looked out of depth again but came out swinging and got the job done in the NBA Finals Game 2. It's been the story of their fairytale playoff run as the eighth seed. The Heat bring the best out of themselves when their backs are against the walls.
The 2023 NBA Finals Game 2 was no different. The Heat conceded a 40-14 run at one stretch, giving away the early double-digit lead they had built to tip things off. Miami has stolen homecourt advantage off every opponent they have faced so far, giving themselves a legitimate shot at winning the series.
They did it against Milwaukee, New York and Boston, taking a 3-1 lead by the end of four games. They have an excellent chance to do that in the NBA Finals, too, with Games 3 and 4 on the road against the Nuggets.
