The Denver Nuggets are 48 minutes away from the first championship in franchise history. Denver went into Miami on Friday night for Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals and took down the Heat, 108-95, to open up a 3-1 lead in the series.
Unlike the first three games against Miami, Nikola Jokic didn’t carry the Nuggets, as he dealt with a little foul trouble and went for 23 points on 8-for-19 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. But the magic of this Denver squad is that it has guys who can fill the void when Jokic isn’t playing like the best player in the world, and on Friday, Aaron Gordon stepped up and put forth one of the best games of his career.
Gordon was relentless, as he repeatedly attacked Miami’s defense and even added three made shots from behind the three-point the line. His 27 points were the most he scored in a single game this postseason, and it came on an ultra-efficient 11-for-15 shooting with six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Aaron Gordon’s ELECTRIC 2nd quarter
He scores 15 of his 16 PTS in Q2 as Denver leads by 4 at the half on ABC!
They look to take a 3-1 lead in the Finals with a road win tonight
pic.twitter.com/TUOgtSNmsk
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
Aaron Gordon ON FIRE
He’s up to 25 PTS as Denver leads by 13 at the end of Q3 on ABC! pic.twitter.com/UwtWfNuwtm
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
Jamal Murray
Aaron Gordon
10 assists for Murray, Gordon now up to 27 PTS in Game 4
Get to ABC for the final 7 minutes! pic.twitter.com/4JtEFXUc3s
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
One other Nugget scored more than 20 points, and much like Gordon, it came from a player who isn’t always expected to have a big from the field. Bruce Brown had 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, providing a much-needed spark for the Nuggets while Jokic was on the bench with five fouls.
Murray dish, Brown for three!
Denver leads by 7 late in the 1Q on ABC as they lead 2-1 in the Finals
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
BRUCE BROWN AND-1
Denver leads by 11 with under 2 minutes to play in Game 4 on ABC! pic.twitter.com/3SYopSTqX0
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
Miami ran into a problem it has ran into time and time again on its playoff run: the threes weren’t falling and the offense suffered as a result. While Jimmy Butler (25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) and Bam Adebayo (20 points and 11 rebounds, although he also had eight turnovers) did most of what they’re expected to do on offense, the Heat only went 8-for-25 from three. With the Nuggets essentially playing them to a draw from the free throw line, the two main avenues through which Miami has been able to make games competitive were cut off, and as a result, the offense struggled to get much going.
Game 5 between the Nuggets and Heat will take place on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.