MANILA, Philippines – All tied up.

As the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat shifts to the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, both teams duke it out for an all-important 2-1 lead in Game 3 of their best-of-seven series on Wednesday, June 7 (Thursday, June 8, Manila time).

After a gutsy 111-108 Game 2 win, momentum is now on the side of the Heat – who were considered as underdogs prior to the start of the series – as they managed to steal a victory on the road and handed the Nuggets their first home loss this postseason. 

Miami relied on a total team effort in Game 2 as three players breached the 20-point territory, with Gabe Vincent leading the charge with 23 points built on four long bombs. 

Jimmy Butler bounced back from his quiet Game 1 performance with a 21-point outing, while Bam Adebayo continued his stellar play in the finals as he also produced 21 markers on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting.

However, it was the duo of Max Strus and Duncan Robinson that played a vital role in Miami’s nail-biting Game 2 escape as the sharpshooters finally came alive after disappearing in the series-opener. 

Strus – who went scoreless and missed all his 10 attempts in Game 1 – delivered 14 points in Game 2, including 12 in the opening period.

Robinson, meanwhile, sparked Miami’s furious 36-25 fourth-quarter run as he scored all his 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the final 12 minutes alone.

Look for those same players to once again show up and make their presence felt for the Heat in Game 3 as they gun for back-to-back wins against a Nuggets squad, which depends heavily on superstar center Nikola Jokic.

The two-time NBA MVP Jokic was a one-man show for Denver in Game 2, erupting for 41 points on 28 attempts, along with 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

Game time is 8:30 am.

– Rappler.com