The lineups: How Nuggets and Heat fared to start NBA Finals

Sports Reporter

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, jogs on the court during the second half of Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

A player-by-player look at the lineups for both the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat after Game 1 of the NBA Finals:

Game 1 stats: 26 points (11-for-22 FGs), 10 assists, 6 rebounds, +9

Jamal Murray scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, but started to distribute more in the second, racking up six of his 10 assists. He carried the load offensively through three quarters until Nikola Jokic took over late. He shot 2-for-7 from 3-point range, so there's a chance Murray is in for an even bigger Game 2.

Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope against the Miami Heat during the first half of Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals, June 1 in Denver.

Game 1 stats: 7 points (3-for-8 FGs), 3 rebounds, +5

It was a pretty unremarkable Game 1 for KCP offensively, but his contributions on that end have been inconsistent for much of the postseason. He played solid defense overall, helping limit Miami to one of its worst offensive games of the playoffs, but he’ll continued to be challenged by the Heat's quick guards that aren't afraid to fire from deep, either.

Game 1 stats: 14 points (2-for-11 3-pointers), 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, +20

MPJ had the best plus-minus of anyone in Game 1 and his play reflected that. A poor shooting night like this in the past would’ve doomed him, but he made plenty of contributions off the ball, driving to the rim and crashing the glass, while also playing some of the best defense of his entire career.

Game 1 stats: 16 points (7-for-10 FGs), 6 rebounds, 1 block, +15

Gordon scored 12 points in the first quarter as he took advantage of the size advantage he had over whoever the Heat tried to defend him with. Once he set the tone offensively, he turned his energy to defense where held Jimmy Butler to just six points after the opening 12 minutes.

Game 1 stats: 27 points, (8-for-12 FGs, 10-for-12 FTs), 14 assists, 10 rebounds, +14

There's not much else to say about Jokic's NBA Finals debut other than he took five shots in the first three quarters and still managed to lead all players in scoring. Oh, and he had another triple-double. How many is that now? Nine in the playoffs — huh, not bad.

Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown reacts after making a 3-point basket against the Miami Heat during the second half of Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The Nuggets starters played big minutes again as Denver continued to use a six-man group the majority of the time. Bruce Brown had 10 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, while Jeff Green and Christian Braun once again played around 10 minutes each.

Game 1 stats: 19 points (5-for-10 3-pointers), 5 assists, 0 plus-minus

Vincent, the former undrafted free agent turned unsung hero this postseason, was one of the few Heat players to have a consistent performance in Game 1. He was one of the only Miami players whose shot was not only falling, but also one of the few players willing to fire from 3-point range, shooting a team-high 10 attempts from behind the arc.

Miami Heat guard Max Strus against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of Game 1 on June 1 in Denver.

Game 1 stats: 0 points (0-for-9 3-pointers), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, -12

Strus’ performance is easy to look at when trying to determine what went wrong for the Heat in Game 1, but his career-worst shooting night wasn't the only reason Miami got down early and never recovered, even if he was approaching all-time bad NBA Finals shooting performances.

Max Strus is 0-8 from 3. He's moving up the charts for worst 3-point shooting performances in the Finals per @ESPNStatsInfo1994 0-11 John Starks 2022 0-9 Stephen Curry2015 0-8 J.R. Smith2010 0-8 Ray Allen

Game 1 stats: 13 points (6-for-14 FGs), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, -17

Butler shooting as little as he did in Game 1 has not exactly been a recipe for success for the Heat in the playoffs. In fact, the more Butler shoots, the better it tends to be for Miami. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of heavy minutes a few days prior in Boston, but expect Butler to quickly bounce back in Game 2.

Game 1 stats: 3 points (1-for-7 FGs), 4 rebounds, 1 block, -10

After a masterful series against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, Martin just couldn't find a rhythm in Game 1 against the Nuggets. Like Strus, Martin was getting good looks, but just couldn't get anything to go through the hoop.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Game 1 stats: 26 points (13-for-25 FGs), 13 rebounds, 5 assists, -6

The Heat offense ran through Adebayo in Game 1. The former Kentucky center was the only Miami player to get in any sort of rhythm offensively, but the Nuggets seemed content to let that happen. If the Heat are going to continue to look to Adebayo for a heavy scoring load, the big man will have to be more aggressive and try to get to the free throw line for some more balanced scoring.

Two of the Heat's best players in Game 1 — Kyle Lowry and Haywood Highsmith — came off the bench, but that forced an already small Miami team to play even smaller. Duncan Robinson's shot wasn't falling and Cody Zeller was an easy target for Jokic in his limited time on the floor.

Forgive Jeff Green and Kyle Lowry if they don't perfectly remember every game of their respective college careers. It was over 15 years ago, t…

Sports Reporter

Tyler King is a Denver-based sports reporter for The Gazette and covers a wide variety of topics, mainly college football and basketball.