Nuggets defeat Heat to win first NBA Championship in franchise history

After 47 years, the Denver Nuggets are finally NBA champions as they captured their maiden title with a 94-89 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Star centre Nikola Jokic led the way once again for Denver in the closeout game, finishing with 28 points and 16 rebounds to drag the Nuggets over the line in a fiercely contested battle against Erik Spoelstra’s Miami Heat.

The Serbian, who was the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, is now the lowest-drafted player in history to win a finals MVP. The two-time MVP averaged 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists across the finals and is also the first player to finish a single NBA post-season with the most points, rebounds, and assists.

It wasn’t just a one-man show for the Nuggets, though. Jamal Murray rose to the occasion in the playoffs and finals, making a superb return to action after suffering a career-threatening ACL injury that forced him to sit out the entire 2021/22 season. The Canadian point guard averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists against Miami, starring both as a scorer and a facilitator to fuel the Denver offence in their first-ever NBA finals.

The Nuggets had to dig deep in the closeout game at Ball Arena, with some nerves on display as they got off to a cold shooting start in front of their home support. Denver made just two of their opening 22 three-point attempts and six of their first 13 shots from the free-throw line, scoring just 44 points in the first two quarters to give Miami a seven-point lead at half-time.

However, the Nuggets found the resolve to make one final push in the second half to close out their championship season. Michael Porter Jr. gave the Nuggets their first lead since the opening quarter with 1:31 left in the third, while Murray drained a three to stretch their advantage to four to start the fourth.

Miami threatened to mount a comeback after some brilliance from Jimmy Buttler, who scored 13 points in the final frame and gave the Eastern Conference champions an 87-86 lead with 2:45 on the clock. But an ill-timed turnover from Butler sealed the Heat’s fate as Bruce Brown made two key free-throws to finish the game and hand the Nuggets their first NBA title in franchise history.