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NUGGETS ONE WIN FROM TITLE

Game 4 handling of Heat puts Denver on verge of first NBA championship

By TIM REYNOLDS — AP

MIAMI — The mission for the Nuggets was clear: Come to Miami, get two wins and head back home with a chance to finally become NBA champions.

It’s officially there for the taking. The 47-year wait for Denver might be over as soon as Monday, with Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets now just one win away from getting the title that he’s wanted for so long.

Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Bruce Brown had 21 off the bench and the Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.

“We haven’t done a damn thing yet,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We have to win another game to be world champions.”

The Nuggets, who won their fifth straight road game to grab complete command, will have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first of them amid what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5.

Jokic added 23 points and Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists — his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game — for Denver.

“Today was a team effort.” Murray said. “Everybody locked in. We’ve got one more to go.”

Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances — this one joining 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry had 13 points.

The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they’re in.

“Now we’re in a must-win situation, every single game — which we’re capable of,” Butler said. “It’s not impossible.”

The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. Denver was the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regularseason meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals.

“Our guys are locked in, man,” Malone said. “We’re focused.”

Denver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left — and it was down to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.

But the Nuggets — who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their lone loss of the series — didn’t fold, even with their two-time MVP still out. Murray made a 3-pointer to stop Miami’s 8-0 spurt, and Jeff Green made a huge corner 3 from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 edge with 6:21 left.

Jokic checked out with Denver up 10. He came back with the Nuggets up nine. Miami didn’t take advantage of that chance, and now finds itself on the wrong end of history.

“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. “That’s not an option. … So we’ll band together … and find a way to figure it out.”

Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, so the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title.

“We have an incredibly competitive group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve done everything the hard way and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now — again.”

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2023-06-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://nypost.pressreader.com/article/282265259832625

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