ESPN: Nuggets Simplified Aaron Gordon's Game After Beating Out Celtics, More in Trade

The Denver Nuggets trailed for just 34 seconds in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA finals on Thursday.

That consistent lead was partially due to a successful first quarter from Aaron Gordon, who racked up 12 points in the first 12 minutes of the Nuggets' 104-93 victory over the Miami Heat.

At 6'8", Gordon can outreach three Miami starters and orchestrate mismatches for easy layups. That's been part of the Nuggets' strategy for Gordon since he was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, ESPN's Zach Lowe reported.

When Gordon requested a trade after six seasons with the Orlando Magic in March 2021, he earned interest from multiple teams. The Athletic's Jared Weiss reported that the Boston Celtics were interested, while Shams Charania said the Houston Rockets had "significant talks" with the Magic regarding a move.

It was the Nuggets that won out, and they acquired the forward with the plan of simplifying his offensive game, Lowe said.

"The Nuggets wanted to simplify Gordon's offensive game: run the floor, screen hard, cut for passes from [Nikola] Jokić, and punish mismatches with deeper post-ups," Lowe wrote. "On the other end, Gordon would defend the league's best wing scorers— including [Jimmy] Butler in these Finals."

That plan worked out for the Nuggets in Game 1 and will leave the Heat wondering if they will need to switch up the smaller starting lineup which defeated the Celtics for Game 2.

"I love to play with him," Jokić said about Gordon after the win, per Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. "I love to play with a, I want to say 'dominant big man,' if that makes any sense. The best thing he did is accept his role, and he's really doing a great job of that. Like today he got it going. We were just getting him the ball, and he was really good in the paint."

The Heat and the Nuggets tip off in Denver tonight at 8 p.m. ET.