The Nuggets’ mission was clear: Come to Miami, get two wins, and come home with a chance to finally become NBA champions.
Mission accomplished. Now they just have to complete the work.
The 47-year wait for a title could end as soon as Monday. Nikola Jokic and Denver are just one win away from capturing the title they’ve coveted for so long.
Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Jokic added 23 and the Nuggets beat the Heat 108-95 on Friday to take a 3-1 lead in the Finals.
Bruce Brown added 21 points off the bench for the Nuggets, who took both games in Miami to take control of the Finals with a 3-1 lead.
“We haven’t accomplished a damn thing,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone stressed. “We have to win another match to be world champions.”
Denver will now have three chances to win a game to be crowned. Two will be in Denver, the first on Monday night, when an electrifying atmosphere is expected for Game 5.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists, his fourth straight double-digit assist game for Denver.
“Today was a collective effort,” Murray emphasized. “I can’t name a single person. They all contributed. We need one more game”
Jimmy Butler had 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen to 3-1 deficits in its last three Finals appearances, including 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. finished with 13 units.
The Heat walked off the court in silence, well aware that they are between a rock and a hard place.
“Now we are forced to win every game, but it is something we are capable of doing,” Butler said. “It is not impossible”.
The Nuggets were heavy favorites to win the series, for obvious reasons. They were the top seed in the Western Conference after the regular season, while Miami finished eighth in the East.
Denver had won nine of its last 10 games against the Heat in the regular season. His success over Miami has continued in these Finals.
“Our players are focused and committed,” Malone emphasized.
Denver led by 13 points to start the fourth quarter. Miami played the last quarter with the desperation that the moment warranted.
He scored the first eight points, and Jokic committed his fifth foul, forcing him to go to the bench with 9:24 remaining. The score tightened to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.
But the Nuggets, who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to suffer their only loss of the series, didn’t falter even without Jokic, a two-time NBA MVP.
Murray hit a 3-pointer to end Miami’s 8-0 run and Jeff Green hit a terrific 3-pointer from the corner to make it 94-85 with 6:21 to play.
“We have guys who can step up one night and another,” Gordon said.
