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.īut 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. “We’re focused.”ĭenver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. “Our guys are locked in, man,” Malone said. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals. 1 seed Miami was the Eastern Conference’s No. The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. “Now we're in a must-win situation, every single game - which we're capable of,” Butler said. The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they're in now. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry added 13 points. 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 20. Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists - his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game - for Denver.

They’ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first in what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5. “We have to win another game to be world champions.”īruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who won their fifth straight road game to grab complete command. “We haven’t done a damn thing yet,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Jokic added 23 and the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. 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. MIAMI - The mission for the Denver Nuggets was clear: Come to Miami, get two wins and head back home with a chance to finally become NBA champions.

Nuggets now in full command of NBA Finals, top Heat 108-95 for 3-1 lead

Download nba standings