The Denver Nuggets showed no signs of rust after nine days off.
in their NBA Finals debut on Thursday. They'll take a one-game lead and a ton of confidence into Game 2.
Nikola Jokić took just one shot in the first quarter, and the Nuggets still sprinted out to a 29-20 lead. The two-time MVP was plenty active early, but focused on facilitating while racking up 6 first-quarter assists. The Nuggets extended their lead to 59-42 at halftime as a Heat team that just wrapped a seven-game series against the Celtics on Monday before a trip to the thin air of Denver struggled to make shots from the field.
The Heat didn't fold. They converted a late 11-0 run to to cut their deficit to 84-74 and got as close as 96-87 on a Haywood Highsmith 3 with 2:34 remaining. But they never challenged Denver's lead.Game 3:At Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET June 12 *Follow NBA Finals, Game 1: Heat at Nuggets
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