Standing on the podium celebrating a first championship, Nuggets coach Michael Malone took the opportunity to fire up supporters even more, telling them more titles were on the way. Hoping to send the series back to Miami for Game Six, Butler tried to come to the rescue late in the fourth scoring eight consecutive points, two free throws putting the Heat ahead 89-88 with just under two minutes remaining.īut the Nuggets would not be denied, a Bruce Brown lay-up giving Denver a 90-89 lead they would never let go. The Nuggets came out with urgency in a bruising third quarter that finished with the Heat clinging to a 71-70 lead. In the second quarter turnovers and poor shooting continued to plague the Nuggets as they went a woeful 1-15 from beyond the arc while the resilient Heat held steady in the Ball Arena pressure cooker, taking a 51-44 advantage into the break. Miami started smartly, jumping ahead 5-0 before the Nuggets shifted into gear and went on a 12-0 run, whipping the crowd into frenzy.īut after a timeout the refocused Heat went on a 11-2 run of their own to retake lead as a wild opening quarter ended with Miami up 24-22. It was all hands on deck for the Heat with guard Tyler Herro, who had been out of action for nearly two months with a broken right hand, made available for the game but never got on the floor. That one loss, however, coming to Miami in Game Two. Making the task even more daunting, Ball Arena has been a virtual fortress for the Nuggets, who were 9-1 at home during the postseason coming into Game Five. Of the 36 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in an NBA Finals only one, the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, came back to claim the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The eighth-seeded Heat had defied the odds throughout the postseason, taking out the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, but the challenge facing them on Monday was a near impossible one. contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds to the Denver cause while Canadian Jamal Murray chipped in with 14 points. "That is why basketball is a fun sport, it is a live thing, you cannot say this going to happen, there are so many factors. "The job is done, we can go home now," said Jokic, whose trophy case also includes two NBA MVP Awards. Once again the Nuggets were led by Jokic, who hit for a double-double of 28 points and 16 rebounds to cap a dominating postseason performance. With a raucous capacity crowd packed into Ball Arena ready to celebrate, the Nuggets ended a 47-year championship wait by taking the best-of-seven series 4-1. June 12 (Reuters) - The Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 94-89 on Monday to bring a first NBA title to Mile High City, with Serbian big man Nikola Jokic scoring 28 points and being named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals.
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