Final thoughts
As tends to happen more often than not, the “rest vs rust” question was answered by “rest.” It turns out that having over an extra week to rest worked out perfectly for the Denver Nuggets, who totally outworked an exhausted Miami Heat offense despite a great game from Bam Adebayo.
Now the question is whether the Heat can bounce back for Sunday’s Game 2 and manage to pull off a road upset. As today’s game showed, it’s going to take a full team effort to pull off the upset. We’ve seen them do it before, however.
Join us at The Guardian for more 2023 NBA Finals coverage for however long the series lasts! We’ll be back covering Game 2 on Sunday. For now, thanks to everybody who followed along with us for today’s live coverage, especially those who contributed. Ciao!
The Denver Nuggets win Game 1!
The Denver Nuggets have beaten the Miami Heat to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals!
Heat 93-104 Nuggets, FINAL
Jokić scores, Vincent hits a three-pointer and that will do it. Erik Spoelstra empties the Miami bench and nobody scores after that.
The Nuggets beat the Heat by 104-93 and it felt like a much larger deficit than that.
Updated
Heat 90-102 Nuggets, 1:24, 4th quarter
A foul on Adebayo puts Jokić on the line for two free throws that basically will ice this. Highsmith, who has had a brilliant Finals debut while most of his teammates were no-shows, responds with a three-pointer.
Heat 87-100 Nuggets, 1:52, 4th quarter
Caldwell-Pope hits a jumper. Caldwell-Pope draws a foul to get to the line and makes both free throws. So much for those stops. That sound was a window closing in Game 1.
Heat 87-96 Nuggets, 2:34, 4th quarter
Highsmith with a dunk and a three-pointer, keeping this just-in-hand late. Just a nine point game and just enough time on the clock where overtime is possible if the Heat can get stops.
Heat 82-96 Nuggets, 3:27, 4th quarter
Highsmith scores, it’s a ten-point game! Could Miami do this? Could they do the impossible yet again?
Oh, no, Jokić is on his serial killer game, calmly hitting the softest buckets possible to kill all the Heat’s hopes.
Heat 80-92 Nuggets, 4:41, 4th quarter
Caldwell-Pope goes to the line for two free throws and misses both of them. Butler drives to the floor and scores and an upset Malone calls another timeout to tell his team to close this thing out. He’s seen what the Heat have done to lesser teams and doesn’t want that to happen to his crew.
Heat 78-92 Nuggets, 4:47, 4th quarter
Adebayo does what he has been doing all game long: scores in a desperate attempt to keep the Heat in this game. Of course, Murray instantly responds.
A Gabe Vincent layup cuts down the lead but right now the Heat’s big enemy is the clock.
Of course, so it goes for all of us.
Email from Peter Oh:
Hi Hunter,
At the risk of sounding like a bitter Californian, the first thing I think of when I hear the word ‘nuggets’ is chicken, not gold or Denver. And there are few things worse than watching a team called Heat play like a cold wet sponge.
Cheers,
Peter Oh
This is an extremely fun basketball game if you are a Nuggets fan or if you have money on the Nuggets. It is not a fun game for anybody else, including apparently Jokić who plays MVP-level basketball like a bored accountant.
Heat 74-90 Nuggets, 7:16, 4th quarter
Jokić, who wants to wrap this thing up so he can get back to thinking about horses, scores with a layup that forces Miami to take another timeout.
Suffice it to say that the Nuggets have survived the Heat’s counterpunch.
Heat 74-88 Nuggets, 7:25, 4th quarter
Jokić gets fouled and takes a few more free throws. He makes both.
Heat 74-86 Nuggets, 8:15, 4th quarter
Green calms things down with his Veteran Presence, which this time emerges in the form of a timely basket to stop the Heat run.
Heat 74-84 Nuggets, 9:09, 4th quarter
Oh I guess that was a three by Lowry, so it’s a 13-point Nuggets lead instead.
Oh and Lowry made another. Yikes. Danger zone for Denver?
A commercial for “The Bear” on the ABC broadcast, which, as someone who still has nightmares about a single summer working food service back in 2001, I will be giving the hardest pass possible no matter how good everybody says it is.
Heat 70-84 Nuggets, 10:02, 4th quarter
Lowry hits another shot and Miami has done all the scoring to start the fourth. After an 8-0 run, Malone quickly calls a timeout to try to stem the tide, not wanting to Joe Mazzulla himself by letting this get out of hand.
Heat 68-84 Nuggets, 10:27, 4th quarter
Gabe Vincent with a three-pointer. That’s five straight points out of the break? Heat comeback starts now?
Heat 65-84 Nuggets, 11:20, 4th quarter
Highsmith makes a layup to start the fourth quarter.
The negative way for Boston Celtics fans to approach the first 3/4ths of this game:
Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Max Strus have a lot of nerve, turning back into pumpkins as soon as the Finals start
— Chris supports workers over management (@cokes311) June 2, 2023
The positive way of looking at things? The Celtics had absolutely no chance of beating this Nuggets team and fans were spared the torture.
Heat 63-84 Nuggets, end of the 3rd quarter
Brown hits another floater. Lowry hits a three-pointer to answer, but I’m not sure anything that happens from here on out is going to matter except in the final score.
Heat 60-82 Nuggets, 1:01, 3rd quarter
Jokić gets fouled, goes to the line for 1-for-2. So, hey, that’s something, right Miami?
Heat 60-81 Nuggets, 1:41, 3rd quarter
An exhausted Adebayo is subbed in by Cody Zeller. Brown hits a jumper and now it’s a 21-point Nuggets lead.
Nuggets vs. Heat pic.twitter.com/fzV6bx4fgm
— lil pom poko jerk (@rajandelman) June 2, 2023
At this rate, the fourth quarter is going to look like the third act of “The Day After” for the Heat.
Heat 60-79 Nuggets, 2:51, 3rd quarter
Murray finds Porter Jr for a basket. Bruce Brown hits a three-pointer. Both are assisted by Murray, who can do more than score. (Yes I am already working on his MVP case this early. Have to lay the foundation.)
19-point lead for Denver. Miami calls a timeout.
Heat 60-74 Nuggets, 3:52, 3rd quarter
There’s the Caleb Martin we saw during the Celtics series. He hits a desperately needed three for Miami.
Heat 57-74 Nuggets, 4:26, 3rd quarter
Adebayo is the entirety of the Heat offense and he scores but Miami will need a whole lotta stops and some scoring from someone else very soon.
Heat 55-74 Nuggets, 5:39, 3rd quarter
Neither team comes out of the timeout looking good until Caldwell-Pope hits a three-pointer and wow does this feel over right now.
But please please please keep reading!
Heat 55-71 Nuggets, 6:12, 3rd quarter
Adebayo continues trying to carry the entire offensive load here, driving to the basket for the dunk. On the other end, Jokić gets fouled and makes… just 1-of-2 free throws. That’s basically a win for Miami.
Jimmy Butler tips in an Adebayo shot but on the other end Jokić hits a three-point shot. There’s a timeout and… it’s the Nuggets and not the Heat. Which seems weird, but whatever I’ll roll with it.
Heat 51-67 Nuggets, 7:44, 3rd quarter
Gordon blocks another Strus three-point attempt. Porter Jr gets off on a Denver fast break and gets fouled at the basket for more Nuggets free throws.
He makes both.
Heat 51-65 Nuggets, 7:54, 3rd quarter
Butler with a dunk. Playoff Jimmy is going to have to emerge this half, because Adebayo isn’t going to be able to make up this deficit by himself.
Heat 49-65 Nuggets, 8:37, 3rd quarter
Strus with yet another miss. 5-for-20 from the three-point range now.
Meanwhile, Murray drives to the basket, hits a floater, and picks up a foul. He makes the free throw, the foul is on Martin.
Heat 49-62 Nuggets, 9:47, 3rd quarter
Caleb Martin is ice cold here, missing another shot. Where was this guy in Game 7?
Heat 49-62 Nuggets, 9:47, 3rd quarter
Murray, the fire extinguisher, makes a layup and gets fouled by Butler. On the line, he makes the free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play.
Heat 49-59 Nuggets, 10:32, 3rd quarter
And a Gabe Vincent three-pointer! Miami making this interesting? Just a ten-point game again.
Start of the second half
Heat 46-59 Nuggets, 11:14, 3rd quarter
Well, those were some quick adjustments, Adebayo scores twice out of halftime. He’s carrying Miami right now.
Once again: Murray is going to be the MVP of these Finals. I feel very good about this prediction.
The Nuggets' star duo was on point in the first half:
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 2, 2023
⚒ Murray: 18 PTS | 8-12 FG
⚒ Jokic: 10 PTS | 10 AST pic.twitter.com/bsBz1odnW2
My improv teacher is a recent basketball convert so I’ve asked for her permission to share her thoughts throughout these Finals, although she is (like the rest of this city) still recovering from the brutal end of the Celtics season earlier this week:
Based purely on the halftime box score, gonna take a wild guess that my feeds tomorrow will not be suffocated by pictures of Jimmy Butler smirking, a nightmare I have recently endured
— lil pom poko jerk (@rajandelman) June 2, 2023
I want to correct myself: Max Strus is not 0-for-7 from the three-point line. He’s 0-for-7 with field goals, only six of them were three-point attempts.
This, however, will lead us to the major reason that the Nuggets have a 17-point lead right now: Denver’s three-point percentage? 45.5%. Miami’s? 23.5% The regression to the mean could be happening.
Halftime thoughts
Well, unfortunately, this is exactly how I expected the Denver Nuggets, after nine days of rest, playing its first home game ever in an NBA Finals, to treat a Miami Heat team that just went seven games against a Boston Celtics team determined to sabotage itself.
The Nuggets are playing free and easy and the Heat offense looks… well like it did during the regular season, particularly from the three-point line.
End of the first half!
Heat 42-59 Nuggets, end of the first half
And Murray scores one more time for Denver. So much for Miami cutting down that lead.
Heat 42-57 Nuggets, 20.4, 2nd quarter
Max Strus misses another three-pointer, he’s 0-for-7. So much for being my X-factor. Murray scores, Adebayo (who has been Miami’s best player so far) answers, but Murray rains down a three-pointer and this one feels like it’s already out of hand.
Heat 40-52 Nuggets, 1:49, 2nd quarter
Jokić is a great passer, however, which he shows again with a bounce pass to Gordon to increase the Denver lead.
Gabe Vincent hits a Heat three-pointer, they desperately need to cut this down before halftime.
Heat 37-50 Nuggets, 3:21, 2nd quarter
The refs are letting the players play, which I don’t mind. Jokić doesn’t get called for contact with Duncan Robinson.
He then gets inside for a basket, an obnoxious three-foot pop-up of a shot that is the basketball equivalent of an excuse-me check swing grounder that squeezes through the infield for an entirely unearned single.
I do not like this man’s offensive game from an aesthetic standpoint, but can’t say it doesn’t work. Nuggets have 50 points, the Heat take a timeout.
Heat 37-48 Nuggets, 4:47, 2nd quarter
Jokić picks up a foul on Highsmith and adds to Denver’s lead with two made free throws.
Heat 37-46 Nuggets, 5:30, 2nd quarter
The Heat and Nuggets exchange a few baskets before Bruce Brown manages to give Denver some additional cushion with a three-pointer off the bench.
Heat 33-41 Nuggets, 6:33, 2nd quarter
Lowry hits a floater to cut the Denver lead down to six points. Briefly. Then comes Michael Porter Jr who gets his revenge with a dunk.
Heat 31-39 Nuggets, 7:18, 2nd quarter
Porter Jr hits another dunk, Bam Adebayo scores twice. On the second play, Porter Jr hits the ground hard and seems shaken up. The crowd wants a foul on Adebayo, but they don’t get one. Denver takes a timeout.
Heat 27-37 Nuggets, 8:42, 2nd quarter
And now for some role player action. Duncan Robinson makes a three-pointer and the venerable Jeff Green makes a short jumper in response.
Heat 24-35 Nuggets, 9:21, 2nd quarter
Highsmith hits a two. Michael Porter Jr adds a three-pointer to go with his two blocks, how’s that for some good ol’ 3-and-D?
Heat 22-32 Nuggets, 10:31, 2nd quarter
And Jamal Murray hits a monster three to get it back and more. Ten-point game.
Heat 22-29 Nuggets, 10:54, 2nd quarter
A foul on Denver’s Christian Braun puts Haywood Highsmith on the line for two free throws, which he makes to cut into the Denver lead.
Heat 20-29 Nuggets, 11:22, 2nd quarter
The start of the second quarter starts with neither team scoring, which I don’t mind as it gives me time to change the heading real quick.
Here’s the thing: it almost doesn’t matter how often Jokić scores:
NBA Finals Game 1 assists through one quarter: Nikola Jokic 6, Heat 5.
— Inside Hoops - NBA Finals (@InsideHoops) June 2, 2023
Heat 20-29 Nuggets, end of the 1st quarter
Jokić helps lay in an Aaron Gordon pass for his first field goal of the game. Chances are, it won’t be his last. The Nuggets are in control after one.
Heat 20-27 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 27.0
The defense is sharper out of the timeout, or maybe it’s just that Butler’s shot is a little off to start the series, but the Nuggets can’t seem to score
Heat 20-27 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 1:59
Heat score twice, including a three-pointer, when the Nuggets score just once and that’s more than enough for Malone to call a timeout.
Denver’s offense has been smoking but they may need a little more focus on the defensive end after that flurry of scoring.
Heat 16-24 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 3:29
Gordon is on fire he his a three that gets the crowd fired up… until an Adebayo jumper quickly silences them.
But Murray answers with a dunk.
Heat 14-20 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 4:39
Michael Porter Jr with a huge block on Caleb Martin, but Cantavious-Pope can’t score for Denver.
Vincent hits a three-pointer for Miami. Murray dunks for Denver. Gordon gets another layup.
Heat 11-16 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 5:35
Jamal Murray picks up a foul trying to stop Butler after his own turnover. When the possession resumes, Adebayo dunks but Murray makes up for his mistake with a basket on the other end.
I cannot read "The Heat Is" without Glenn Frey jumping into my head and dammit, Hunter. Now you can "enjoy" the sax riff along with me
— kevin (@RedSoxRedShoes) June 2, 2023
Well, right now something about the Heat is off, so it’s not quite appropriate. I will link to this classic of modern music when appropriate.
Heat 9-14 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 6:34
Miami’s Gabe Vincent counters with a jumper on his own, but it’s all Denver from here on out. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Gordon (again) score and Miami has to take a very early timeout.
This was about how I expected this game to start.
Heat 7-10 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 7:41
After that flurry of scoring, the defense on both ends picks up until Gordon breaks things up with a layup.
Heat 7-8 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 8:56
Butler makes a three-pointer, Gordon answers with a dunk, Bam Adebayo scores and then picks up a foul that will put Nikola Jokić on the line for two. He gets both.
Heat 2-4 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 9:45
Jimmy Butler, who else, gets the scoring going for Miami with a jumper. Aaron Gordon answers for Denver.
Heat 0-2 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 11:28
Miami’s Jamal Murray scores first!
Updated
Opening tip
Heat 0-0 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 12:00
Denver head coach Michael Malone is shown giving a speech that is essentially don’t lose at home in Game 1 like those chumps in the Eastern Conference playoffs. As a Celtics fan, that hurts but I do not have an answer.
And we’re finally off! Real basketball!
Updated
I told you it wouldn’t be starting at 8:30 EST on the dot. I’ve done a lot of these.
This tweet is sponsored by SeatGeek.
Who signed TWO AND A HALF PODCASTS to do the Anthem? pic.twitter.com/mSdEJIlpbh
— Henry T. Casey (@henrytcasey) June 2, 2023
National anthem
Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Night Sweats were the best Denver could get for Game 1? I mean, they are perfectly fine but I can’t wait until this series goes back to Miami. Higher celebrity wattage for sure. 5/10.
Nobody on the pregame show is picking the Heat. It feels like there just isn’t a way they can win this series but… again, we said that about the last three series!
It might come down to the whether or not the Denver Nuggets take Miami for granted and, honestly, the Nuggets are basically the anti-Celtics when it comes down to not playing down to the perceived level of their opponents.
Note, Celtics fans are not particularly enthused to hear more about the narratives surrounding this Heat run.
For the record, I will not be watching the finals because if I hear the words “Undrafted players” again I will chuck something heavy at my tv, and I really can’t spare the expense.
— Libby Crews (@libbycrews) June 2, 2023
Predictions
As always, I’m rooting for a long series and compelling basketball, which means that I have no choice but to root for the Miami Heat here not to fall back to Earth after they overperformed during the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they manage to take Game 1 at home here, like they just did against the Boston Celtics (I have talked about this once and will not do so again), that could go a long way in making sure we get one.
It’s just hard to think that will happen, especially considering that the Nuggets have gotten around a week off to rest. It feels like this is Denver’s game to win rather easily, so let’s predict this will be Nuggets by double-digits, with bench players taking the floor in the game’s final minute or two. If Miami is going to split these two games on the road, which they probably need to do to have a chance at winning a championship here, look for them to win Game 2 but not this one.
If you have differing thoughts, feel free to send them here either via tweet (to @HunterFelt) or email (hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) and we’ll include them here.
Miami Heat starting lineup
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Max Strus
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Caleb Martin
C: Bam Adebayo
Also: ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is saying that there’s a chance Tyler Herro could be returning as soon as Sunday’s Game 2, which would be a huge boost to Miami’s chances.
Updated
Denver Nuggets starting lineup
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr
PF: Aaron Grdon
C: Nikola Jokić
NBA news
The last we heard about Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant was that he was suspended from team activities following footage that once again showed him dabbling in gunplay. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver commented about it earlier today and, well, the news sounds ominous for the controversial guard:
Adam Silver on Ja Morant: “We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information. We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 1, 2023
Updated
Preamble
Okay, okay, let’s get these jokes out of the way. “What, the Finals are Heat-Nuggets, and not Celtics-Lakers? I guess the writers’ strike must have affected the NBA.”
Yes let’s be honest: this is not the marquee matchup that, say, television executives or narcissistic livebloggers hoping for the largest possible audience were hoping to get. However, here’s the truth: that’s more of a problem for us in the media than it should be for fans of basketball as a sport.
The 2023 NBA Finals feature the best team in the league facing up against a team that has defied all logic to make it this far. We have Nikola Jokić, quite possibly the NBA’s best player, up against Jimmy Butler, who might be the NBA’s most unpredictable X-Factor. (I honestly am hesitant to even use the word “might” here, on both occasions.) We have an eighth-seeded Heat team with seven undrafted players somehow in the Finals facing a Nuggets team that has never even been this far in franchise history.
Of course, the one thing we don’t know is whether this series will give us the kind of drama we demand from a championship round. Certainly, nearly every single factor suggests that the Nuggets should be in control of this series, particularly since they have home-court advantage. The Heat, however, are a team that refuses to accept the reality of being underdogs. If there’s going to be one team to upend expectations, this Miami team would be it.
That’s enough speculation, it’s all up to the players from here on out. All we can do is watch and provide commentary from here on out. I do mean “we”: feel free to join the conversation either via email or Twitter. You can send an email to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or a tweet to @HunterFelt throughout today’s game and we’ll incorporate your thoughts throughout today’s contest.
It’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets in Denver’s Ball Arena. In theory, the opening tip will begin at 8:30 pm EST, it will probably be close to 8:40, but whenever it will be we’ll be back with additional commentary well before then.
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here are our writers’ predictions ahead of this year’s NBA finals between Denver and Miami.
How to watch the NBA finals
Every game of the NBA finals will air in the US on broadcast TV (ABC), live stream (ESPN3) and on NBA League Pass. Additionally, Game 1 will be simulcast on ESPN+.
UK viewers can watch on Sky Sports or NBA League Pass. Australian viewers can stream on Kayo Sports via ESPN and additionally through NBA League Pass.
Best-of-seven series. All times EDT.
• Thu 1 Jun Game 1: Heat at Nuggets, 8.30pm (ABC)
• Sun 4 Jun Game 2: Heat at Nuggets, 8pm (ABC)
• Wed 7 Jun Game 3: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC)
• Fri 9 Jun Game 4: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC)
• Mon 12 Jun Game 5: Heat at Nuggets, 8.30pm (ABC) *
• Thu 15 Jun Game 6: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC) *
• Sun 18 Jun Game 7: Heat at Nuggets, 8pm (ABC) *
* if necessary
