The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals thanks to a triple-double from Nikola Jokic, 26 points from Jamal Murray, and little difficulty from the Miami Heat's sluggish shooting. For the Nuggets, who had to wait 47 years to get to the finals, Jokic ended with 27 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds.
For Denver, which trailed for only 34 seconds before going on to lead by as many as 24, Aaron Gordon added 16 points, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 14. Bam Adebayo led Miami, which shot 41% overall and 33% from three-point range, with 26 points and 13 rebounds in the contest. Miami went on an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter, reducing an early 84-63 lead to 84-74. With 2:34 left, Highsmith's three-pointer for the Heat brought them within nine, but they couldn't get any closer, and there was no question about the outcome.