Will Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray be at NBA Finals on Thursday? Injury Update for Heat vs. Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat will square off in Game 1 on Thursday at the Pepsi Center in Denver, led by a pair of stars who have accomplished careers and are at the top of their skills.

The most recent Injury report for Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets

FOR THE HEAT

The Nuggets will be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, while the Heat will be the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Miami became only the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals, following the New York Knicks in 1999.

“You get to the NBA Finals, it’s not about seeding anymore, and for those who are thinking that this is going to be an easy series, I don’t even know what to say,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals.”

Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat has never won an MVP award, but he has shown at various points in his career that he has the toughness to carry a club through the most difficult of situations.

 

Butler has found a new gear in this run, combining hard work and flashy play to postseason averages of 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. This is an improvement above last season’s statistics of 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.

Bam Adebayo has averaged 16.8 points and 9.2 rebounds in the playoffs.

The Heat’s roster also includes seven undrafted players, led by Caleb Martin (14.1 ppg in playoffs) and Gabe Vincent (13.1 points), who scored 29 points against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

“We love being around each other; we want to see each other succeed,” Butler said. “We really do enjoy when each other play well, and we’re going to continue to do that, never going to get rattled, and we’re going to see where we end up.”

Miami guard Tyler Herro, the team’s third-leading regular-season scorer (20.1 ppg), could be the series’ wild card.

The point guard, 23, has been sidelined since fracturing his right hand in the first game of the Heat’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Wednesday, Spoelstra stated that Herro would miss Game 1 but is on his way back.

The Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals for the first time since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Butler put forth a similar performance in the playoffs, driving Miami to their sixth Finals appearance all-time.

The Heat have three titles, the most recent of which LeBron James won in 2013.

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FOR THE NUGGETS

The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic did not win the NBA MVP award this season after winning it the previous two years.

Instead, with a statistically dominant postseason run, he is poised to earn the ultimate team honor.

The presence of Jokic, who appears to be fired up after losing the MVP award to Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, makes it a possibility for Denver. Jokic has averaged a triple-double of 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists in 15 playoff games.

“I think the way we play, everybody can step up and everybody can be the best payer for a game or a week,” Jokic remarked, clearly uncomfortable with his top-player status. “The ball is in my hands a lot, so I make a lot of decisions, but I don’t know if I can be the best player.”

Jamal Murray (27.7 ppg), Michael Porter Jr. (14.6 ppg, 8.0 rebounds), and Aaron Gordon (13.0 ppg) will provide adequate support.

Unlike the Heat, who had to suffer a grueling seven-game series that ended with an away win, the Nuggets have enjoyed a relaxing mini-vacation.

They easily trounced the Los Angeles Lakers in four straight games in the Western Conference finals, and completed the sweep on May 22 with a 113-111 victory against LA.

It gave them 10 days to recover, lick their wounds, and prepare for the NBA Finals.

The Nuggets are in the NBA Finals for the first time in team history, and for the first time since 1976, when they lost in the ABA Finals.