The Nuggets beat the Heat in Miami, one win away from the NBA title

With a strong performance from its stars, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 108 to 95, away from home, on Friday and are now one win away from winning their first NBA title.

The Nuggets, who lead the Finals 3 to 1, will have their first opportunity to close out the series next Monday, in front of their fans, at the Ball Arena, from 9:30pm (from Brasilia).

Nikola Jokic, who sprained his ankle in the first quarter and was foul-out for a long time, scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, supported by Aaron Gordon, with 27 points, and Jamal Murray, with 15 points and 12 assists

The Heat, who have once again squandered the support of the 19,000 Kaseya Center crowd, have a nearly impossible mission to retain their title. Jimmy Butler, with 25 points, and Bam Adebayo, with 20, were once again alone in front of a Denver team recital.

Of the 36 teams that went 3-1 in the NBA Finals series, only LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors, could come from behind to be champions.

“Today (Friday) was a team effort. I can’t name one person, everyone was involved. One more (win) is missing for us, we will achieve our goal,” Jamal Murray said in an interview after the match, who, like Jokic, is shining in the first Finals of his career reaching milestones that only NBA legends could achieve.

The Canadian point guard, who played with a left hand splint following an injury sustained in Wednesday’s game, became the only player since Magic Johnson to record 10 assists in the first four games of the Finals.

This Friday’s game had a similar script to Denver’s victory two days ago, with the Nuggets going into the break four points clear (55 to 51) and starting in the third quarter, without breaking down with the timid reaction for Miami in the last period, when Jokic was on the bench for the number of fouls.

Instead of Murray, who put up a triple-double on Wednesday, Jokic’s main offensive partner this time was forward Aaron Gordon, who broke his own personal best for points in a playoff game.

In the first quarter, the Nuggets got a big scare when Jokic sprained his right ankle when he stepped on Max Strust as he ran for an offensive rebound.

The six-foot-tall center received locker room treatment but returned in the second quarter and hit a spectacular three-pointer on his first play.

MATCH 4 FINAL SCORE

DEN: 108

MIA: 95

Nuggets take a 3-1 lead in the Finals! pic.twitter.com/TGIWkcu97I

—NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023

On the other hand, the Heat’s offense revolved around Buler and Adebayo, supported by experienced forward Kevin Love (12 points), who had his best moment in the Finals by scoring three out of three field goals in a row.

The Miami team had its big break with nine minutes left when Jokic was benched for his fifth foul, but I was only able to narrow Denver’s lead to six points.

Murray and Gordon returned every Heat attack and the Nuggets defense ended up holding off the attacks of Miami, which now needs a historic comeback to retain the title.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.