Jimmy Butler, Heat Lambasted by Twitter for Dismal Offense in Game 3 Loss vs. Nuggets
There was no fourth quarter magic for the Miami Heat this time.
The Denver Nuggets smoked Miami in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, 109-94, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Nikola Jokić posted an absurd 32-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, while Jamal Murray had one of his own (34 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds).
Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 28 points, while Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 17 boards.
But the Heat didn't get much help from their role players, and NBA Twitter had words for the overall stagnant offensive performance after the contest:
Miami rode a wave of outlier three-point shooting to this point in the postseason, but the Heat came back down to earth on Wednesday, finishing 11-of-35 from deep (31.4 percent).
The the Nuggets two best players also happened to be the best players on the court, period, while Christian Braun (15 points, four rebounds) made a huge impact off the bench.
Game 1 and 3 of this series established a clear theme—the Nuggets are better than the Heat, and when they play to the top of their potential, it's extremely clear.
But the Heat are plenty capable of punching above their weight due to their hot shooting in these playoffs, their plucky defensive intensity, Butler's run of extraordinary performances (although that version of Butler hasn't shown up in the NBA Finals just yet) and the mental toughness that has contributed to several fourth-quarter comebacks.
But the team's limitations were on display again on Wednesday. The Nuggets have more size, they have the best player in the series (two-time MVP Jokić), they have a point guard in Murray playing extremely high-level basketball and they have the more talented starting 5.
The Heat are not to be dismissed lightly. But if the Nuggets continue to play to the top of their potential, they will be champions. The Heat simply having a lower ceiling, and it's been obvious in two of the three games in this series.
