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Denver Nuggets now just one win away from first NBA title as Aaron Gordon stars in Game 4 victory; Miami Heat find themselves trailing 3-1 for a third consecutive Finals appearance
Aaron Gordon scored 27 points and Nikola Jokic added 23 as the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 108-95 to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and move within a game of a first title.
Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench, while Jamal Murray notched his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game.
"Today was a team effort." Murray said. "I can't even name one person. Everybody locked in. We've got one more to go."
The Heat, in contrast, walked off the floor in silence.
Although Jimmy Butler scored 25 points, there was very little for Miami to be cheerful about. This is the third time in as many finals appearances that they've fallen into a 3-1 hole.
They were in trouble leading into the fourth quarter, as they have been in every game of the series, down by 13 points. Butler and his team-mates, however, came out with appropriate desperation and scored eight on the bounce, aided by Jokic committing his fifth foul of the game and having to leave the court with 9:24 left.
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 Two for their lone loss of the series - didn't fold, even with their two-time MVP winner still out.
Murray made a three-pointer to stop Miami's 8-0 run, and Jeff Green followed suit from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 lead with 6:21 left.
Jokic then checked back in with Miami having failed to take advantage of his absence. Having had to scramble just to make the playoffs, the Heat now need to pull off the ultimate scramble to win a championship.
"This is what this year's been all about for this group, so we're definitely not going to hang our heads or quit," Heat guard Duncan Robinson said. "That's not an option. It's not going to happen. So we'll band together and get on this flight tomorrow and find a way to figure it out."
"We have an incredibly competitive group," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra added. "We've done everything the hard way and that's the way it's going to have to be done right now - again. And all we're going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. Get this thing back to Miami. And things can shift very quickly."
"Now we're in a must-win situation, every single game - which we're capable of," Butler agreed. "It's not impossible."