How Nuggets duo Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray utterly dominated entire Heat starting 5

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray almost single-handedly (or should that be double-handedly?) willed the Denver Nuggets to victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. The Miami Heat had no answer for Denver’s dynamic combination, who powered the Nuggets to a 109-94 victory at the Kaseya Center.

66 points total. That was the total number of points scored by Jokic and Murray during the night. While this has become somewhat of a routine for probably the best all-around tandem in the NBA right now, the fact that they nearly outscored the entire Heat starting five in Game 3 is astounding. Miami’s starting lineup of Jimmy Butler (28 points), Bam Adebayo (22 points), Gabe Vincent (7), Kevin Love (6), and Max Srtus (3) combined for 66 points, tying Jokic and Murray’s total for the game:

This demonstrates just how dominant Jokic and Murray were tonight. The former back-to-back MVP had a never-before-seen 32-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double – the first in NBA Finals history. Murray, on the other hand, finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and three three-pointers. It’s also the first time in playoffs and regular season history that two players on the same team have produced 30-point triple-doubles.

Obviously, the Heat’s starting lineup must be far better than it was in Game 3, and the same can be said for the entire team. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo weren’t terrible, but the rest of the team plainly fell short.