Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler Make History in Game 2 of 2023 NBA Finals

• The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat put on a show in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals
• The Heat tied the championship series at one game apiece following Sunday's win
• Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler made history with their performances in Game 2

Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic are undoubtedly the leaders of the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, respectively.

The two alphas made NBA history with their performances in Game 2 of the 2023 Finals.

Sports Brief looks at the records they matched and set on Sunday night.

Jokic makes history for Denver

The two-time MVP made history on Sunday, becoming the first NBA center to rack up at least 500 points and 100 assists in a single postseason.

The Nuggets center achieved that hallowed mark toward the end of the third quarter in Game 2 against the Heat.

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Jokic was leading Denver with 31 points and had three assists at the time he accomplished the feat. The Serbian big man had 18 points in the third quarter alone.

He also became the newest member of the 40-10 club in the NBA Finals, per USA Today.

Jokic scored 41 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Game 2. The only other centers to score at least 40 points and pull down at least 10 rebounds in a Finals game are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Jokic is the first non-Laker center to reach this mark in a Finals game.

Butler makes history for Miami

Butler made history in Game 2 of the Finals, becoming the third Heat player with 500 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in a single postseason, per Sports Illustrated.

The only other Miami players to reach that hallowed mark are LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

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Butler now has 518 points, 130 rebounds, and 113 assists through 19 postseason games. He is shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc in this year's playoffs.

Vincent and Robinson lead Heat

Sports Brief recently reported on the Heat’s win over the Nuggets in Game 2.

Gabe Vincent led Miami in scoring with 23 points.

Duncan Robinson fueled the Heat’s comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points in the final frame.