Carmelo anthony denver nuggets jersey8/11/2023 ![]() They spent the first half of the season chasing the Los Angeles Lakers in the standings but found themselves solidly in second place in the Western Conference. Coming off a Western Conference Finals trip and returning largely the exact same roster the Nuggets were once again primed to make a run at a title behind Melo and Billups. The wheels for Carmelo’s eventual departure from Denver were set in motion the season prior, almost one year to the day prior to the trade happening. It was a trade that in the end everyone won and no one did. It was the the start of a rebuild that would take nearly a decade to complete. It was a baptism by fire for gm Masai Ujiri. It was a deal that shipped off not only the best player the Nuggets had since Alex English, but also the hometown hero in Chauncey Billups. It was the end of an era that had in some ways quite literally saved basketball in Denver. He left the Nuggets with a choice: trade him to a team of his liking, or lose him for nothing in the offseason. Oh he wanted that max extension alright, just not in Denver. The Nuggets wanted their young star to re-up and sign the maximum extension, spend his prime with the team that drafted him third overall. After seven straight years of leading them to the playoffs, Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets reached an impasse. Sometimes, that can affect the flow of the rest of your game.Ten years ago today, while the NBA was returning for it’s recess for the All Star break, the Denver Nuggets made what some argue is the biggest trade in franchise history. “For us, when we lose a lot of those physical battles - the effort plays, loose balls, the rebounding battles - that’s our identity,” Erik Spoelstra. The Heat shot 37 per-cent from the floor with only 11 3-pointers made and were clobbered on the glass 58-33. Miami was led by Jimmy Butler’s 28 points and 22 points and 17 rebounds from Bam Adebayo although it didn't get much help from elsewhere. The Heat got within nine with less than two minutes remaining but the Nuggets held firm this time, seeing out the win. Aaron Gordon also stepped up with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. With Christian Braun providing a spark off the bench - he had 15 points in 19 energetic minutes on 7-of-8 shooting - Denver pulled away in the third quarter and led by as many as 21 in the fourth. The Nuggets had a 53-48 lead at the break behind a 20-point first half from Murray, who had 18 points in the entire Game 2. That’s how we’re going to get to the goal.”Īfter collapsing in the fourth quarter in Game 2 to allow Miami to even the series, Denver came out locked in on this night. That’s our mindset and just win the next one. It was a big one for us just because they won in our arena and we didn’t want to go down 2-1. “To be honest, not much,” said Jokic, who now has 10 triple-doubles during these play-offs. Jokic, who also had a triple-double in Denver’s Game 1 win, was typically modest when asked what he thought about his historic performance. 2023 NBA Finals: Preview, schedule and how to watch live.2023 NBA Finals: Nikola Jokic's triple-double leads Denver Nuggets to Game 1 win.2023 NBA Finals: Miami Heat roar back in 4Q to even series at 1-1.“By far their greatest performance as a duo in their seven years together.” “I’ve been with Nikola for eight and Jamal for seven years now, and we’ve had some pretty good moments - but not in the NBA Finals. “For (Murray) and Nikola to do what they did tonight, in a game that we needed to regain control home-court advantage of the series, was special to watch,” Malone said. Nuggets coach Michael Malone hailed his two stars, saying it was the best they’ve ever played together. ![]() Murray had a 34-10-10 outing as Denver took a 2-1 series lead ahead of Game 4 in Miami on Friday. ![]() On a special evening for basketball, Jokic had the first-ever 30-20-10 triple-double in the NBA Finals with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first duo to each have a 30-point triple-double in NBA regular- or post-season history as the Denver Nuggets recaptured home-court advantage with a 109-94 Game 3 victory over the Miami Heat in the Finals on Wednesday (7 June).
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