![]() ![]() ![]() Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title. So we’ll band together and get on this flight tomorrow and find a way to figure it out.” “This is what this year’s been all about for this group, so definitely not going to hang our heads or quit,” Heat guard Duncan Robinson said. ![]() A team that had to scratch and claw just to make the playoffs now needs to pull off the ultimate scramble to win a championship. Miami did not take advantage of the non-Jokic minutes, and now find themselves on the wrong side of history. “We have guys that can step up, night in and night out,” Gordon said. Murray made a 3-pointer to stop Miami’s 8-0 run in its tracks, and Jeff Green made a huge corner 3 from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 lead with 6:21 left. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left, and the lead was down to five, 86-81, when Butler completed a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.īut the Nuggets, who came unglued in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their only loss of the series, did not fold like a cheap tent, even with their two-time MVP still out. “We’re focused.”ĭenver led by 13 going into the fourth quarter, and Miami came out for the final quarter with the right amount of desperation. “Our guys are locked in, man,” Malone said. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the two teams, and their run of dominance over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals. 1 seed Miami was the Eastern Conference’s No. The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. “Now we’re in a must-win situation, every single game - which we’re capable of,” Butler said. The Heat walked off the court in stone silence but focused, fully aware of how much trouble they are in now. Bam Adebayo had a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry added 13 points. Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for the Heat, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances, this one joining 20, against the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. He is the only player to have four finals games with ten or more assists. Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists, his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game, for the Nuggets. They will have a trio of chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first in what is sure to be a deafening atmosphere for Game 5. “We have to win another game to be world champions.”īruce Brown scored 21 off the bench, eleven of those coming in the final frame for the Nuggets, who won their fifth consecutive game away from home to take a strangle hold on the series. “We haven’t done a damn thing yet,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. Aaron Gordon scored a game-high 27 points, Jokic added a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds to go along with three steals and the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. The 47-year wait for Denver might be over as soon as Monday night, with superstar Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets now just one victory away from the ultimate Rocky Mountain high that he has wanted since 2015. The title is officially there for the taking. The objective for the Denver Nuggets was clear: Come to Miami, get two wins and head back home with a chance to finally become NBA champions. ![]()
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