The Denver Nuggets made an interesting adjustment between Game 2 and Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Aaron Gordon said the Nuggets noticed one area in which they needed to improve after they blew a 15-point lead to the Miami Heat on Sunday. Following Denver’s 109-94 win over the Heat in Game 3, Gordon told reporters that the Nuggets were over-helping on Jimmy Butler defensively in Game 2.
Aaron Gordon says he thinks the Nuggets were over-helping on Jimmy Butler in Game 2. Thought they did a better job tonight.
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) June 8, 2023
Butler had 28 points in Game 3 compared to 21 in Game 2. The end result was obviously better for Denver in Game 3, so it is interesting that the Nuggets had better success when they allowed Butler to do more.
The Heat will now face almost a must-win situation at home in Game 4. They can’t afford to go down 3-1 heading back to Denver. If the Nuggets figured something out with regard to how they are defending Butler, Erik Spoelstra will have to find a way to counter it.
