Surviving an agonizing end, the Miami Heat They defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-108 on Sunday and tied the NBA Finals at one win per team. NBA.
The team led by Jimmy Butler (21 points and 9 assists) and Bam Adebayo (21 points and 9 rebounds) achieved a valuable victory on the field of the favorite Nuggets and will now host the next two games of the series, starting with the third game on Wednesday.
The 41 points and 11 rebounds of the Serbian Nikola Jokic were not enough for the locals, who had one last option to tie, but Jamal Murray missed a triple with a second to go.
The Heat aimed to level the series in which many thought Denver would maintain its hegemony with a 2-0 run, but Florida came out determined and on point with 17 of their 35 3-point attempts.
Miami entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, thus beginning each series on the road.
Once again, the Nuggets must thank the Serbian Nikola Jokic, but on this day they could not take advantage of his 41 points.
Jokic was coming off recording his ninth triple-double of the playoffs, and sixth in his last seven games, after racking up 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in the first game of the Finals.
The Heat had an excellent job with free throws, going 18 of 20 chances.
The momentum was collective for Miami, where Butler was also immense with 21 points and 9 assists to take more responsibility in the last quarter, after Adebayo once again was exemplary with 21 points and nine rebounds.
“We know we have to do it on the defensive end,” Adebayo said after the game. “That’s the most important thing for us. We have to do it because we know we can score, the five players we believe in. So the most important thing for us was defending.”
Miami, which made it past two play-in games, is trying to become the first eighth-seeded team to win the title.
“We destroyed one at your home court, so it’s time to go back to 305,” Adebayo said, referring to the Miami area code.
FUENTE: AFP
2023-06-05 18:26:45
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