Nikola Jokic finished with 41 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the floor, but it was not enough to turn things around for the Nuggets down the stretch
DENVER, United States of America, June 5, 2023/ -- Five players scored in double figures and the Miami Heat defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals (www.NBA.com), tying the best-of-seven series 1-1. Gabe Vincent got 23 points with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo adding 21 points each.
DENVER, United States of America, June 5, 2023/ -- Five players scored in double figures and the Miami Heat defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals (www.NBA.com), tying the best-of-seven series 1-1. Gabe Vincent got 23 points with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo adding 21 points each.
Nikola Jokic finished with 41 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the floor, but it was not enough to turn things around for the Nuggets down the stretch. Jamal Murray added 18 points and 10 assists for Denver who will look to take back homecourt advantage when they head to Miami for the next two games.
ERIK SPOELSTRA (Miami Heat Head Coach): “Are you talking about Nnamdi, Gabe? I would say that old saying that we use a lot: People severely overestimate what you can get accomplished in a day, and they grossly underestimate what you can get accomplished in a matter of months, years, when nobody is paying attention. And he's the epitome of that.”
GABE VINCENT (Miami Heat): “We have a lot of experience in these close games. So, when it comes down to the wire, we are strangely comfortable.”
BAM ADEBAYO (Miami Heat; on Gabe Vincent): “Man, when he torched us in the Olympics, in the exhibition game facing Nigeria. He came out with that type of energy, that type of voracity and that type of anger. I felt like, from there, he's one of us.”
JIMMY BUTLER (Miami Heat): “We're not worried about what anybody thinks. We're so focused in on what we do well and who we are as a group that at the end of the day, that's what we fall back on. Make-or-miss shots, we're going to be who we are because we're not worried about anybody else. That's how it's been all year long, and that's not going to change. So that's what I think it is. I think it's the "I don't give a damn factor.”
KEVIN LOVE (Miami Heat): “We know we’re going to have our hands full for the rest of the series. At least for tonight, getting that win was huge for us.”
MICHAEL MALONE (Denver Nuggets Head Coach): “Let's talk about effort. This is NBA Finals, we are talking about effort; that's a huge concern of mine. You guys probably thought I was just making up some storyline after Game 1 when I said we didn't play well. We didn't play well.”
NIKOLA JOKIC (Denver Nuggets): “I think the discipline is the key for us. If you are not disciplined, if we're going to have a breakdown, it's not going to be a long series, of course. Just because they are punishing you as soon as you make mistakes. Hopefully, we're going to be disciplined for next game.”
JAMAL MURRAY (Denver Nuggets): “We've just got to have an all-around game. We can't just have spurts of second quarter good, end of the third good. We can't have spurts of good play. We've got to play all the way through, through ups and downs, stay together and play with intensity and energy, and I don't think we had that.”
JEFF GREEN (Denver Nuggets): I think it's all about discipline. We just have to be better disciplined on the ball, off the ball, knowing our coverages, knowing what we're supposed to do, playing without fouling.”
Game 3 is on Wednesday night (Thursday 2:30 a.m. CAT) on ESPN, Canal+ and NBA League Pass.
ERIK SPOELSTRA (Miami Heat Head Coach): “Are you talking about Nnamdi, Gabe? I would say that old saying that we use a lot: People severely overestimate what you can get accomplished in a day, and they grossly underestimate what you can get accomplished in a matter of months, years, when nobody is paying attention. And he's the epitome of that.”
GABE VINCENT (Miami Heat): “We have a lot of experience in these close games. So, when it comes down to the wire, we are strangely comfortable.”
BAM ADEBAYO (Miami Heat; on Gabe Vincent): “Man, when he torched us in the Olympics, in the exhibition game facing Nigeria. He came out with that type of energy, that type of voracity and that type of anger. I felt like, from there, he's one of us.”
JIMMY BUTLER (Miami Heat): “We're not worried about what anybody thinks. We're so focused in on what we do well and who we are as a group that at the end of the day, that's what we fall back on. Make-or-miss shots, we're going to be who we are because we're not worried about anybody else. That's how it's been all year long, and that's not going to change. So that's what I think it is. I think it's the "I don't give a damn factor.”
KEVIN LOVE (Miami Heat): “We know we’re going to have our hands full for the rest of the series. At least for tonight, getting that win was huge for us.”
MICHAEL MALONE (Denver Nuggets Head Coach): “Let's talk about effort. This is NBA Finals, we are talking about effort; that's a huge concern of mine. You guys probably thought I was just making up some storyline after Game 1 when I said we didn't play well. We didn't play well.”
NIKOLA JOKIC (Denver Nuggets): “I think the discipline is the key for us. If you are not disciplined, if we're going to have a breakdown, it's not going to be a long series, of course. Just because they are punishing you as soon as you make mistakes. Hopefully, we're going to be disciplined for next game.”
JAMAL MURRAY (Denver Nuggets): “We've just got to have an all-around game. We can't just have spurts of second quarter good, end of the third good. We can't have spurts of good play. We've got to play all the way through, through ups and downs, stay together and play with intensity and energy, and I don't think we had that.”
JEFF GREEN (Denver Nuggets): I think it's all about discipline. We just have to be better disciplined on the ball, off the ball, knowing our coverages, knowing what we're supposed to do, playing without fouling.”
Game 3 is on Wednesday night (Thursday 2:30 a.m. CAT) on ESPN, Canal+ and NBA League Pass.
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