Nuggets vs. Heat live score, updates, highlights from Game 1 of NBA ...

At long last, the NBA Finals have arrived.

The Larry O'Brien Trophy will be heading to either Denver or Miami in 2023. Whichever team can get four wins first will cement its place in basketball history forever.

On Thursday night, one team will take the first step toward making that dream a reality. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets will play host to Jimmy Butler and the Heat for Game 1 at Ball Arena.

It has been nine days since the Nuggets last took the floor, meaning they'll have a huge advantage in terms of rest over the Heat. We'll quickly find out whether they have to shake off some rust or are back to their dominant ways after the long layoff.

The Heat, on the other hand, have had just two days of rest since dispatching the Celtics in Boston with an impressive Game 7 performance. They have also had to travel across the country with little time to adjust to the high altitude in Denver.

But Butler and Co. have overcome every obstacle in their way to this point, and there's no doubt they'll be full of confidence as the series gets underway.

Will the Nuggets get off to a perfect start at home? Or will the Heat continue to defy the odds?

The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from Game 1 of Nuggets vs. Heat. Follow along with all of the action right here.

MORE: Why defending Nikola Jokic is the Heat's greatest challenge yet

Nuggets vs. Heat score

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Nuggets	29	30	—	—	—
Heat	20	22	—	—	—

Nuggets vs. Heat live score, updates, highlights from Game 1

(All times Eastern.)

9:56 p.m. — Jokic swishes a three of his own to extend the lead back to 16 points. He's shooting it at an incredible 47 percent clip from deep so far this postseason. Just when the Heat started to pick up some momentum, the Nuggets answer with a run of their own. 

9:48 p.m. — The Heat start the quarter with a nice little offensive flurry. Adebayo continues his excellent night with a pair of midrange buckets, then Gabe Vincent sinks a three to quickly cut the deficit to just ten points. 

9:45 p.m. START OF THIRD QUARTER — The second half is underway. Can Miami find a way back into this game?

9:34 p.m. — Murray leads all scorers with 18 points, while Adebayo is close behind with 16. Jokic already has a double-double, with ten points and ten assists at the break. 

9:29 p.m. END OF FIRST HALF — Fantastic end to the half for Denver! Murray drains a triple before Jokic connects a short shot to extend the lead to 17 points. That's how the half will end after a Kyle Lowry attempt at the buzzer is off the mark. The Nuggets take a commanding 59-42 lead into the locker room. 

Joker to Murray for three ????

Jokic with 10 AST.Murray up to 18 PTS.

Nuggets lead at halftime on ABC! pic.twitter.com/0eIV6Z8zwy

— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2023

9:27 p.m. — Martin makes a nice defensive play to force a turnover, and it sets up a wide open three-point look for Max Strus — but he can't connect. He's had a very rough night so far and is zero-of-seven from the field. On the bright side for Miami, Adebayo has been great offensively, and he is up to 16 points for the game. 

9:21 p.m. — Jokic is starting to get it going now. He drives inside on Zeller, who goes flying to the floor, and finishes to take his total to eight points on the night. It also gives the Nuggets their biggest lead of the game so far. They are up 50-37 with 3:20 remaining in the first half. 

9:16 p.m. — Porter Jr. looks just fine as he blows by Adebayo and throws down a big one-handed slam. The Heat are starting to find their groove a bit more offensively, but the Nuggets are keeping them at arm's length.

MPJ with the left ????????

Heat/Nuggets Game 1 LIVE on ABC! pic.twitter.com/0DdmpqAwPT

— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2023

9:13 p.m. — Porter Jr. is down hurt after taking an accidental shot to the face from Bam Adebayo. The good news is he looked like he would be alright as he walked to the sideline. The Nuggets still lead, 39-31. 

9:10 p.m. — Another Nugget off to a great start is Murray, who just buried a triple to reach 11 points for the game. Denver is in full control right now up by ten points early in the second quarter. 

JAMAL MURRAY PULL-UP ????

He's 5/6 for 11 PTS as Denver leads early in Q2 on ABC.#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/JfTr4y3V9C

— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2023

9:01 p.m. END OF FIRST QUARTER — And right on cue, there's Jokic with his first bucket of the night. He pokes the ball away from Cody Zeller to set up a wide open layup under the rim, and the first quarter ends with Denver leading 29-20. Another great start at home for the Nuggets in a postseason full of them. 

8:55 p.m. — One interesting note — Jokic has yet to take a single shot from the field almost ten minutes into this game. That's unusual for Denver, but it's working so far for Michael Malone. The Serbian superstar does already have six assists under his belt, however. 

8:51 p.m. — Gordon is absolutely going off right now! Another pair of lay-ins has taken his tally to 12 points in the first quarter, and the Nuggets have built a seven-point lead with 1:59 remaining in the opening frame. 

8:47 p.m. — Aaron Gordon is off to a fantastic start for the Nuggets. The forward is up to eight points on four-of-six shooting, the latest of which came on a tough post-up over Caleb Martin. Denver leads 14-9 at the first timeout of the evening. 

AG starts STRONG ????

He's got 8 points less than halfway through Q1 on ABC!#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/NBWy4ObjZo

— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2023

8:44 p.m. — The first points of the series belong to Jamal Murray, who hits a driving layup in the opening seconds. But Butler is off to a hot start as well. He knocks down a jumper then cans a triple to take his tally to five points in the early going.  

8:40 p.m. TIP-OFF — The 2023 NBA Finals are underway. Who will win this year's ultimate prize?

8:27 p.m. — Here are tonight's starting lineups as tip-off draws closer.

Game 1, First 5 pic.twitter.com/FGeAh91wOw

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 2, 2023

The first NBA Finals starting five in Nuggets history ⚒#BringItIn pic.twitter.com/2u20JadN8A

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 2, 2023

8:18 p.m. — We've got an electric atmosphere in store tonight in Denver.

The Denver Nuggets take the court. #StepUpTime

Game one tips off in 14 minutes. pic.twitter.com/jhFX2Q5Am4

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) June 2, 2023

7:59 p.m. — Pretty impressive stat here. The Heat have been in 20 percent of all NBA Finals matchups since they entered the league 35 years ago in 1988.

Making our 7th Finals appearance since 2006, we've now been in 20% of the #NBAFinals since our inaugural 1988-89 season. #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/j3BVSj4qYb

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 1, 2023

7:47 p.m. — If the Nuggets win their first-ever NBA championship in 2023, it will likely be down to the performances of this man. Can he keep his unbelievable postseason going tonight?

Jokic getting loose for Game 1 of the #NBAFinals ????

????: 8:30 PM ET on ABC and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/ggJ0a7nydH

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 1, 2023

What channel is Nuggets vs. Heat on?

• Date: Thursday, June 1
• TV channel: ABC
• Live streaming: Sling TV

Nuggets vs. Heat will air on ABC. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the NBA Finals on Sling TV, which is now offering half off your first month! Stream the sports you love starting at just $20 in your first month with Sling Orange to catch all the games on ABC.

SIGN UP FOR SLING: English | Spanish

What time is Nuggets vs. Heat tonight?

• Date: Thursday, June 1
• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET | 5:30 p.m. PT

Nuggets vs. Heat will tip off around 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 1. The game will be played at Ball Arena in Denver.

Nuggets vs. Heat odds

Denver is an 8.5-point favorite heading into Game 1.

Game Lines	Nuggets	Heat
Spread	-8.5	+8.5
Moneyline	-375	+290

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA. Click HERE to sign up.

Nuggets vs. Heat schedule

Here is the complete schedule for the 2023 NBA Finals:

Date	Game	Time (ET)	TV channel
June 1	Game 1	8:30 p.m.	ABC
June 4	Game 2	8 p.m.	ABC
June 7	Game 3	8:30 p.m.	ABC
June 9	Game 4	8:30 p.m.	ABC
June 12	Game 5*	8:30 p.m.	ABC
June 15	Game 6*	8:30 p.m.	ABC
June 18	Game 7*	8 p.m.	ABC

*If necessary