The Nuggets are close to dropping a dime.
One more win and they’ll be a perfect 10-0 at home in the 2023 playoffs. A victory over the Miami Heat in NBA Finals Game 2 on Sunday (6 p.m. MT, ABC) would also give Denver a 2-0 lead for the fourth consecutive series.
Here are three keys to Game 2.
1. Winning whistles: Game 1 presented a pleasant twist of fate for the Nuggets. In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers attempted more free throws in all four games. Maybe it’s that LeBron James is out of the picture and Denver is the heavy favorite, or maybe the Nuggets were simply more aggressive Thursday, but they attempted 20 foul shots to the Heat’s two. “That was pretty interesting,” Miami’s Haywood Highsmith said. “I think we were aggressive, but we did shoot a lot of jump shots because we were open. It’s weird having two free throws. I’ve never seen that before.” Bam Adebayo subsequently quipped: “We made history.” But entering the Finals, the Nuggets were averaging 21.9 free-throw attempts per game in the playoffs. Opponents averaged 22.7. Needless to say, it’s not like Denver has a reputation for referee favoritism. The more likely explanation: Miami doesn’t have a size matchup for Nikola Jokic, so fouling him is the only way to guard him. (Particularly for Cody Zeller.) Jokic led the charge by getting to the line 12 times in Game 1, leading to his remarkable offensive efficiency. Keep that up.
2. Keep letting Bam cook?: Jokic and the Nuggets sagged off Adebayo with the ball and played a lot of drop coverage on screens in Game 1, daring him to take short jumpers. He thrived in the 8- to 15-foot range, scoring 26 points but on a career-high 25 field goal attempts. Adebayo said he was “definitely” given more space than he expected. “You’ve got to read the game,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “If you’re giving up tough mid-range contested twos, that’s better than them getting a lot of open threes. Obviously, we can do a better job of contesting some of those mid-range shots that Bam was getting, and I think we have to mix up our levels.” Adebayo reached 20 points a minute into the third quarter but scored only six the rest of the night. Will the Nuggets be content to continue that strategy against Adebayo, considering his efficiency dipped in the second half while Jimmy Butler attempted 6.2 fewer shots than his playoff average? Or will Malone instruct Jokic to guard Adebayo tighter?
3. Don’t give Martin a chance to get hot: The X-factor of the Eastern Conference Finals was a nonfactor in the series-opener of the NBA Finals. More baffling than Caleb Martin’s 1-for-7 shooting night was that he attempted only two 3-pointers — after attempting at least five in each of Miami’s previous 10 games, including all seven vs. Boston. Martin was 47.4% from deep during that 10-game span (27 for 57) and 48.9% vs. the Celtics (22 for 45) to carry the underdog Heat. His disappearance in Game 1 was indicative of the Heat’s faltering perimeter game. Miami got away with shooting 30.6% from 3-point range against the Knicks, its weakest opponent of this playoff run. But to knock out Nos. 1 and 2 seeds Milwaukee and Boston, the Heat needed to shoot 45% and 43.4% from outside, respectively, over the course of a full series. It starts with Martin. The Nuggets should suffocate Miami’s breakout star whenever he touches the ball.
