However, he’s averaging just 6.5 attempts per game since the Eastern Conference Finals, according to NBA.com.Īdebayo also cleared his points line in Game 3.

In Rounds 1 and 2, Butler averaged 10.1 free throw attempts per game. This decrease in efficiency is tied to his ability to get to the line. Miami lost two of the three games he went over, largely because his efficiency has drastically decreased since Round 1 (59.7% field goal percentage). I think we could see him defer to more of a playmaking role on Friday and I’m eyeing under 26.5 points - a number he hasn’t reached in five of the past eight games. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined for 40 points in Game 3, but it took 45 field goal attempts to get there in a losing effort.īutler was more aggressive and finished with 28, sailing over his points line (25.5) thanks to 10 in the first quarter and 18 in the first half. He has struggled on both sides of the ball and has seen his playing time diminish, but he’s still getting rebounds. could also capitalize on the attention given to Murray and Jokic. However, the player with the third-highest usage in Game 3 was Aaron Gordon - someone who could continue to benefit from a lack of defensive attention. This took away from the Nuggets role players, who had lackluster statistical outputs thanks to Jokic and Murray having usage rates of 28.9% and 35.4%, respectively. Most notably, the Nuggets ran more empty-side pick-and-roll, which took away Miami’s help defense - a Heat strength throughout the postseason. While most of the credit can be given to the players themselves, head coach Michael Malone made some key adjustments that helped the Nuggets maximize Jokic and Murray. Their mastery of the two-man game, which has made the Nuggets so effective this season, was on full display. The dominance of Jokic and Murray was an important takeaway from Game 3.

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