NBA Finals: Nuggets push series lead to 3-1 with 108-95 win over Heat

The Denver Nuggets have pushed their NBA Finals lead over the Heat to 3-1 with a relatively easy 108-95 win in Miami on Friday night.  

Now the two teams head into Game 5 on Monday night in Denver, 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 its ‘others.’

Aaron Gordon was tremendous with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists, Bruce Brown slashed his way to 21 points off the bench and Michael Porter Jr. added 11 despite another off shooting night.

Murray provided 12 assists to go along with 15 points, and Denver survived a five-plus minute stretch without their star man Jokic in the fourth quarter after he picked up a fifth foul.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are just one win away from an NBA championship

Aaron Gordon was tremendous with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win

Miami Heat center Cody Zeller blocks the shot of Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown 

It was a different type of game for the Canadian point guard, who led the Nuggets with a scorching 34-point performance in Game 3, as he shot just 5-17 from the field on Friday.

But Murray now has double-digit assists in every Finals game, and Denver coach Michael Malone praised his mature performance after the game.

‘He did not get bored with making the right play,’ Malone said of Murray, who had zero turnovers in the contest. 

‘He just read the defense, made the right play and trusted… and I thought Jamal’s trusting his teammates tonight was just at such a high level.’ 

The Serbian picked up an offensive foul with 9:24 after getting tangled up with Bam Adebayo, with the Nuggets up 86-76.

Jamal Murray’s shot was off on Friday but his 12 assists were massive in helping Denver win

And Bruce Brown totaled 21 points off the bench in a hugely efficient, 8-11 effort from the field

The Heat brought the lead down 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 eventually pulled away.

Jokic returned to the game with 4:09 left, when the Nuggets were up 96-87, and Denver built a lead as large as 17 as a disappointed Kaseya Center crowd fell silent.

Meanwhile, Miami’s ‘Big Two’, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, had 25 and 20 points respectively in the loss as the team shot just 32 percent from three-point range.

Kevin Love added 12 points – including three three-pointers, Kyle Lowry had 13 and seven assists off the bench and Duncan Robinson added 12 as well but it wasn’t enough for Miami, who are now on the brink of elimination. 

‘We’re not celebrating,’ Malone said after the game. ‘We haven’t done anything yet.’

The game experienced an unusual stoppage with 2:07 left in the third quarter, as  Adebayo missed a two-hand dunk try, hung onto the rim for a moment or two afterward. That’s when someone noticed that the basket didn’t appear to be level.

Play was stopped and within about five minutes, a ladder was brought onto the court for someone to climb up and investigate. 

Denver can close the series out when it hosts Game 5 on Monday. 

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic drives on Heat center Bam Adebayo during the second quarter

Larry Hall adjusts the rim during the third quarter on Friday night at Miami’s Kaseya Center