Hero — Denver’s two-man game: Not one or the other, but a unified machine. The Nuggets needed a spark after the lifeless ending to Game 2. While starters Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot a combined 3 for 12 in the first half, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray worked their magic. Pick-and-rolls, pick-and-pops, dribble handoffs, fake handoffs. Their two-man game supplied what Denver needed.

Zero — Miami in the paint: The Heat didn’t do much of anything right inside their own mustard-yellow lane. The Nuggets out-rebounded Miami by 25, outscored Miami in the paint by 26 and doubled up Miami in second-chance points. Twice early in the second half, Murray won a battle on the offensive glass and turned it into Denver points. On the second, he was chasing his own miss as four Heat players stood nearby and watched.

Postcard — Messy? Nay: The NBA Finals might not even make the Thursday front pages in south Florida. One of the all-time great athletes in any sport announced his plan to sign with the local MLS team. Would Inter Miami’s own Lionel Messi make an appearance at the basketball game with international exposure hours after the big news? No. But, uh, how about former teammate Neymar? The Brazilian superstar sat courtside and smiled for the jumbotron, unlike Lil’ Wayne was willing to do in Colorado.