Nuggets’ Jokic, Murray make NBA Finals history, but how about Braun in Game 3 win?
Denver Nuggets standouts Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates to record 30-point triple-doubles in an NBA Finals game Wednesday, emerging as heroes in a 109-94 victory over the Heat at Kaseya Center in Miami.
For the record, the 6-foot-11, 28-year-old Jokic went for 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 3 and the 6-4, 26-year-old Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as Denver took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 is Friday night, again in Miami.
“I would say that it’s what they do every game. They make the right play,” Christian Braun, the 6-6 rookie out of Kansas and Blue Valley Northwest High, said of the history-making dynamic duo.
“They didn’t try to force anything. That’s what we expect from them and they make everything easier on us,” added Braun, who once again provided a huge spark off the bench.
Braun, a starter on KU’s 2022 NCAA title team, scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds with one assist and one steal in 19 minutes. The defensive standout guarded Miami phenom Jimmy Butler at times. Butler scored 28 points, but did so off 11-of-24 shooting (1-of-4 from three-point range).
“I always talk about him (Braun) as a winner. He’s making winning plays. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing aggressive,” said Jokic, who became the first player to total 30-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and 10-plus assists in an NBA Finals game.
It was the 10th triple-double of the postseason for Jokic, who likes what he’s seeing from his 22-year-old teammate from Kansas.
“I think he has a future in this league,” Jokic said of Braun.
Braun was praised Wednesday for his cutting against Miami’s zone defense. On defense, he swiped the ball from Butler for a slam on the other end and 14-point third-quarter lead. He also had a huge finish over Butler in transition in the fourth quarter to give Denver a sizeable 21-point advantage on the road.
Braun’s 15 points matched his total from the previous seven playoff games combined.
“Those guys (teammates) make it really easy,” he said. “Playing with those guys, they make the right play every time. My job is just to be ready when my name is called.
“Playing with Nikola, playing with Jamal, whoever it is, you’ve just got to be ready for the ball, and today they (teammates) found me in some pretty easy spots. Just staying ready, and it’s the NBA Finals, so if your name is called, you know you’ve got to be ready.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said in the interrview room after the game that he was impressed with Braun’s confidence. Braun showed no signs of stress under pressure, even with the series tied at one win apiece.
“Christian Braun ... I have to give Christian a lot of love. I felt his play was fantastic,” Malone said, adding, “He did not look like a rookie. He was aggressive, strong, physical, confident, and his 15 points and four rebounds off the bench in 19 minutes were very, very impactful.”
Malone was just getting started praising Braun.
“Christian has proved himself all year long, and he was in the rotation end of season. He’s been in the rotation throughout these 18 playoff games now, and if you look around, there’s not many rookies playing meaningful minutes in the NBA this time of year, and it speaks to Christian’s confidence,” Malone said. “It speaks to him being a winner. He’s won at every level: high school, college, and now he’s in the NBA Finals as a rookie in the NBA. He just has stayed ready the whole year, mentally, physically, emotionally. That kid never gets too high, never gets too low. Very calm, cool and collected young man.
“Tonight, man, I could just feel the confidence kind of oozing out of him, the physical, aggressive drives, making plays for guys against their zone. It was really fun to watch a young man step up like the way Christian did tonight. That young man ... when you win three straight high school state championships, when you win a national championship in which he never came out of the game, played all 40 minutes — he’s very confident, and he should be.
“We believed in him, we drafted him (as the 21st pick in the first round), and he’s everything we hoped for and more. But that confidence is something that his mother, his father, his family, I think he’s had from a very early age.”
Braun modestly responded to his coach’s praise: “The guys trusted me all year, so when I get in the game, I just try to defend and do the little things. They obviously make it easier on me.
“Like I’ve said, my job is not very hard; I’ve just got to come in, play with energy. And they (teammates) find me on the right spots on offense and the defense just gives effort. So those guys have trusted me all year and put me in the right spots, and my job is to deliver.”
Starting small forward Aaron Gordon, who contributed 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes, said of Braun: “That’s a rare rookie right here. From day one he’s been on top of it. This is a real winner right here. I say that because he’s always in the right spot. He’s in the right place at the right time, and he’s been doing that all year. He’s been doing that from day one, and nothing changes. He’s in the right place at the right time on the biggest stage, and now you guys (media) are getting to see it.”
Braun, who is vying to become the fifth player in history to win back-to-back college (KU in 2022) and NBA (Denver potentially in 2023) titles, was asked by a reporter why he appears to have “no fear.”
“Those guys trust me, so I can’t really fail if I go out there and play hard. They don’t expect much from me on the offensive end but expect me to go out there and give effort on defense, rebound, whatever it is, try to get extra possession for those guys to score,” Braun said.
“So they trust me, and they put me in the right spots, and all I’ve got to do is lay a ball in and get a steal. My job is pretty easy, and those guys make me look pretty good.”
Friday’s Game 4 is set for another 7:30 p.m. start in Florida.
This story was originally published June 8, 2023 at 12:50 AM.
