The Denver Nuggets overcame Nikola Jokic’s foul problem to defeat the Miami Heat in Game 4 and take the NBA Finals lead.
The 8th seeded Miami Heat found themselves in unfamiliar territory entering Game 4: on the wrong end of an early series deficit. Meanwhile, the No. 1-ranked Denver Nuggets looked like the best team in the NBA throughout the postseason. That didn’t change in Game 4.
Despite Miami’s efforts to screw up the game and make things competitive, the Nuggets ended up edging towards victory despite Nikola Jokic committing his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter.
The Joker still has 23 points and 12 rebounds on 18 shots. Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown were the standouts for Denver with 27 points and 21 points, respectively. Jamal Murray scored 15 points and 12 assists.
The final score was 108-95. Jimmy Butler scored 25 points and contributed seven assists, but he still looked more passive than the Jimmy Butler we saw earlier in the postseason.
With Denver up 3-1 and Miami officially on edge, Twitter was as reliable as ever with quality reactions.
NBA Twitter reacts as the Denver Nuggets win Game 4 over the Miami Heat
The Nuggets sure have all the momentum. It’s impossible to count this Miami team—they’ve already overcome unfathomable odds to get to this point—but Denver is operating at a much higher level than any Eastern Conference team. The Celtics, Bucks, and Knicks all had fatal flaws. Denver isn’t perfect, but there are moments when it feels pretty close.
Jokic was best on the ground through four matches. He’s now one game away from adding Finals MVP to his impressive resume. If Denver can seal the deal, Jokic’s status as one of the best players of his generation will be very strong.
Meanwhile, Jamal Murray’s rise was historic. He was prolific in the regular season, but his ability to get on the big stage was amazing. Murray is the first player in NBA history to record more than 10 assists in the first four Finals games.
The Nuggets are one win away from their first championship in franchise history. The Heat will have to steal Game 5 on the road in front of a raucous Denver crowd in order to take the series back to Miami for Game 6… Can Jimmy Butler pull the last rabbit out of his hat?