NBA Finals: Nuggets push series leads to 3-1 108-95 victory over Heat in Miami and can clinch first Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise history with victory in Denver on Monday
- Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was called for his fifth error late in the fourth inning
- Game 5 is scheduled for Monday night in Denver, where Games 1 and 2 were split
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The Denver Nuggets extended their NBA Finals lead over the Heat to 3-1 with a relatively easy 108-95 victory in Miami on Friday night.
Now, the two teams head to Game 5 in Denver on Monday night where they split Games 1 and 2.
While Game 3 was defined by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s dueling 30-point triple-doubles, Denver won Friday because of his “others.”
Aaron Gordon was awesome with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists, Bruce Brown hacked his way to 21 points off the bench and Michael Porter Jr. added 11 despite another poor night of shooting.
Jamal Murray provided 12 assists to go along with 15 points, and Denver survived a five-plus minute spell without their star man Jokic in the fourth quarter after picking up a fifth foul.
The Serb got an offensive foul with 9:24 after tangled with Bam Adebayo, with the Nuggets up 86-76.
The Heat cut the lead to five, but a huge three-pointer from Jamal Murray restored the lead to eight and set the tone for the rest of the quarter before the Nuggets finally pulled away.
Meanwhile, Miami’s “Big Two,” Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, had 25 and 20 points in the loss, respectively, as the team shot just 32 percent from three-point range.
“We’re not celebrating,” Denver coach Michael Malone said after the game. “We haven’t done anything yet.”
Denver can close out the series if it hosts Game 5 on Monday.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic rides Heat center Bam Adebayo during the second quarter
Larry Hall adjusts the edge during the third quarter on Friday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami