Miami (AP) — The Denver Nuggets had a clear objective: travel to Miami, pick up two victories, and then return home in hopes of winning the NBA championship at last.
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Denver’s 47-year wait could end as soon as Monday, as Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are now just one victory away from winning the championship he has so desperately desired. The Nuggets took a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals on Friday night after defeating the Miami Heat 108-95 behind 27 points from Aaron Gordon and 23 from Nikola Jokic.
For the Nuggets, who won their fifth straight away game to seize total control, Bruce Brown scored 21 points off the bench. They’ll get three chances to win one game and win the championship, two of which will take place in Denver and the first in Game 5’s undoubtedly exciting environment.
For Denver, Jamal Murray recorded a double-digit assist game for the fourth time in a row with 15 points and 12 assists.
“We worked as a team today.” stated Murray. “Even naming one person eludes me. Everyone was confined. There is still one to go.
For Miami, which has now lost 3-1 in its last three finals appearances (this one joining 2014 and 2020), Jimmy Butler scored 25 points. For the Heat, Bam Adebayo finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Kyle Lowry chipped in with 13 points.
The Heat quietly left the court, knowing full well how much trouble they were in at the moment.
Butler stated, “We have to win every single game right now, and we can do it.” “It’s not insurmountable.”
For obvious reasons, the Nuggets were heavy favorites to begin the season. Miami was the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and Denver was the top seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets had defeated the Heat in nine of the previous ten regular-season meetings, and they had carried that winning streak into the final four games of the series.
