The Denver Nuggets will have the champagne on ice Monday night, just in case.
The Nuggets moved one victory from winning their first championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. They can clinch the title and start the celebration if they win Game 5 on Monday at home.
Denver leads the best-of-seven series three to one thanks to Aaron Gordon’s 27 points and Nikola Jokić’s 23 points and 12 rebounds in Miami.
The Nuggets made 14 of 28 three-point attempts. The Heat went eight for 25 (32.0%).
NOTEWORTHY
— Miami was within six points with 6:34 to go in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets outscored the Heat 17-6 over the next five minutes to clinch it.
— Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined for 45 of the Heat’s 95 points. Butler scored 25.
— Jokić went to the locker room briefly in the first quarter after rolling his ankle when he landed on Heat guard Max Strus’ foot. He returned to the bench and the game after taping it.
— If the Nuggets win the title, they would become the first first-time champion since the 2015-2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love.
— Love now plays for the Heat. The Cavaliers trailed the Golden State Warriors three to one in the 2016 Finals before rallying to win the championship.
WHO SAID?
— Nuggets Coach Michael Malone commented on Gordon’s scoring and defense, per CBSSports.com: “Aaron Gordon was huge all night long. He brought his hard hat and was just a warrior for us on both ends. … We’ve seen that now in four games in the Finals where Aaron has had moments where he has carried us offensively.”
— Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who scored 15 points and had 12 assists, spoke on the possibility of winning the title at home on Monday, per USA Today. “We’re just ready to win a championship. We have the tools to do it. It’s been on our minds for a while. We’re just locked in. I don’t think you’ve got to overthink it. We’re just dialed in, ready to win.”
— Butler opined on the Heat’s chances of coming back, per the New York Post: “Now we’re in a must-win situation, every single game — which we’re capable of. It’s not impossible.”
REACTION
— Denver Gazette columnist Paul Klee said this after Game 4: “Gordon has mad love for the Nuggets franchise as a whole. Gordon arrived via trade in March 2021, sending fan favorite Gary Harris to Orlando. And do you know who had a ticket in Section 104 in Miami for the Gordon Game? Ga-ry Har-ris. Gordon went from being Orlando’s No. 1 option to Denver’s No. 4. He viewed it as a promotion.”
— South Florida Sun Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde wrote the following after Game 4: “There’s no need to be harsh about what’s happening in these NBA Finals with Denver up, 3-1. There’s no need, for instance, to say the clock struck midnight on eighth-seeded Cinderella and someone cued the pumpkin. All you need to say is Denver turned the Heat back into the team that was last in in the league offensively during the regular season. The Heat have scored just 93, 94 and 95 points, respectively, in their three losses in the series. That’s the headline here.”
NEXT UP
Game 5 is at 7:30 p.m. CT on Monday.
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