Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets are NBA champions for the first time in franchise history, after a 94-89 Game 5 victory took them into an unassailable lead over the Miami Heat.
The victory saw Denver seal a one-sided NBA Finals series 4-1, and ended their 47-year wait to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Incredibly, the Nuggets missed 20 of their first 22 three-point attempts and seven of their first 13 free throws but figured out how to close out the series on their home floor.
On a night where Miami needed star man Jimmy Butler to step up, and Denver asked their leader Jokic to finish the series, it was the Serb who answered the call, pouring in 28 points while his rival struggled to make an impact until late on in the game.
Butler scored eight straight points to help the Heat take an 87-86 lead with 2:45 left after trailing by seven. He made two more free throws with 1:58 remaining to help Miami regain a one-point lead. Then, Bruce Brown got an offensive rebound and tip-in to give the Nuggets the lead for good.
Trailing by three with 15 seconds left, Butler jacked up a 3, but missed it. Brown made two free throws to put the game out of reach and bring the title to Denver for the first time in the franchise’s 47 years in the league.
The Heat were, as coach Erik Spoelstra promised, a gritty, tenacious bunch. But their shooting wasn’t great, either. Bam Adebayo had 20 for the Heat, but Miami shot 34% from the floor and 25% from 3. Until Butler went off, he was 2 for 13 for eight points.
Butler finished with 21 points for the Heat. ‘It was and ugly and we couldn’t make shots, but at the end we figured it out,’ Jokic said. ‘I am just happy we won the game.’
