NBA
Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is the 2nd player with a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated02 Jun 2023
It was clear from the start of Game 1 last night that the Denver Nuggets were far and away the better team. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was slicing and dicing the defense in the first half. He had 10 points and 10 assists by halftime. The five-time all-star has been the best player in the entire NBA this postseason. Jokic is the 2nd player with a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut.
In Game 1, Jokic finished with 27/10/14 in 40 minutes played. He was reading Miami’s zone defense perfectly all game long. The Heat were trying to break up the passing lanes, but Jokic’s court vision was too good to stop. Denver had a double-digit lead for nearly three-quarters of the game.
Game 2 is this Sunday night at 8:00 pm EST. NBA betting sites have the Nuggets at (-370) to win Game 2 at home. Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat will be eager to get a win to split the series at one game a piece.
Nikola Jokic is the 2nd player with a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, joining Jason Kidd in 2002 vs the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/G2b93UEPtT
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 2, 2023
Nikola Jokic is the 2nd player with a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut
The combination of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic has been a lethal one-two punch for the Nuggets. Jokic is doing what he has done all postseason long, averaging a triple-double. It’s beyond impressive to see what Jokic can do each night.
A triple-double in the playoffs might happen once or twice for a player in a single postseason. Jokic recorded his seventh triple-double last night in his last nine games played. There are not many other players in the NBA who can replicate Jokic’s production on a nightly basis as he does.
Denver remains undefeated at home this season and they’ll look to keep it that way throughout the Finals. Coming off their dominant Game 1 win, the Nuggets have all the momentum heading into Game 2 Sunday night.
