Aaron Gordon leads Nuggets to win in Game 4, takes series lead 3-1 over Heat in NBA Finals

MIAMI – The Denver Nuggets needed someone other than Nikola Jokić or Jamal Murray to carry them through Game 4, and because Aaron Gordon committed them they are now on the brink of their first NBA Championship.

Gordon scored a playoff-high 27 points and the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 108-95 to take a 3-1 lead in the 2023 NBA Finals. Denver could win the first title in franchise history on Monday at home. Game five at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Jokić was no slouch in Game 4 with 23 points and 12 boards, but headed to the bench after committing his fifth error with 9:24 remaining in the fourth quarter and Denver leading by 10.

“The guys stepped up,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “We were up 13 in the fourth quarter, they started 8-0 and that coincides with Nicolas making his fifth foul. So they came out strong. They had us on high boots, and usually in the regular season when Nicolas is out it just kind of goes out.

“But I can say not just tonight but during these qualifiers, whatever many games we’ve played now, the minutes that Nicolas didn’t play went really well. … Really the team wins. We’re not satisfied. We’re going home. We’re We know we have a lot of work to do, and we’ll take it quarter by quarter.”

During the five minutes that Jokic sat on the bench, the closest the Heat had come to six points—the big buckets to put them away was a Jeff Green 3 then a layup and a Bruce Brown free throw with 3:59 left in 10 minutes. point advantage.

Murray extended his record streak to four games with at least 10 assists in his first Finals, finishing with 15 points and 12 assists on an otherwise tough night at 5 of 17. He trails only Magic Johnson in consecutive Finals games with 10 assists At least, and he didn’t commit a turnover in Game 4.

“We’re just ready to win a championship,” said Murray. “We have the tools to do that. It’s been on our minds for a while.”

Brown finished with 21 points off the bench – 11 of them in the fourth quarter.

Gordon asserted himself in the middle quarters, with 15 points in the second and nine more in the third, helping the Nuggets take that 13-point lead into the final frame. He added seven rebounds and six assists in the ninth game of his career with at least 25, 5 and 5 of those games since January 15.

“I thought Aaron Gordon was huge all night,” said Malone. “He brought his hard hat tonight and was just a warrior of both ends for us.”

The Heat, who were on the brink of becoming the first team in league history to win the No. 8 seed, led by 25 points over Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points and 11 boards, and bench players Kyle Lowry (13 points), Duncan Robinson (12 points) and Caleb Martin (11 points) were strong.

Starting guards Gabe Vincent and Max Stross combined for two points in 38 minutes. The Heat shot badly again at home, this time throwing at a 45 percent clip from the field and 8-of-25 from 3. She also committed 15 turnovers that led to 17 Nuggets points.

Jokić, who is heading towards the Finals MVP, is the first player in NBA history with 500 points, 250 rebounds, and 150 assists in the postseason. He collected Friday’s numbers while fighting through a sore ankle after landing on Strous’s foot in the first quarter.

The game stalled with 2:07 left in the third quarter after Adebayo hung on the rim attempting a rebound dunk, bending the rim slightly. This was the third game this season that the Nuggets played with such a stoppage.

A quirky little franchise act is about to fulfill its destiny.

“We stay true to who we are, and we’re going to give ourselves a great opportunity to do so,” said Mallon.

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(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)