Nuggets make history! Denver beats Miami 94-89 to earn its first ever NBA title as superstar Nikola Jokic pours in 28 points to seal win over Heat in Game 5
- Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets broke clear in fourth quarter to win Game 5 and seal NBA championship
- Jimmy Butler came up short with an underwhelming performance when he needed to save his team’s season
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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.
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.
The victory saw Denver seal a one-sided NBA Finals series 4-1, and ended their 56-year wait to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
More to follow.
Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope play in front of a sell-out crowd at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
Gordon (right) celebrates in the Nuggets’ nervy Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on Monday night
The crowd at Ball Arena go wild as Bruce Brown dunks against the Heat during the first half of the contest in Denver
Jokic went into the game as arguably the best NBA player of the season, and he was once again hard to control
Peyton Manning watches on from courtside (left), while Jamal Murray shoots a three-point effort for the Nuggets
Two of the stars of the NBA Finals series – Adebayo (left) and Jokic (right) battle it out during the fourth quarter of the game
Fans had shelled out thousands to be in the arena to watch their Denver Nuggets take a shot at history on Monday night
One fan went all out with his hairstyle for the biggest game in franchise history, while Rocky implored the team to ‘bring it in’
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