Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets hosted Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat for Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals on Monday night. The Nuggets had a 3-1 series lead after picking up a Game 4 win on the road Friday. Denver is making their first Finals appearance, while Miami is playing in its seventh franchise appearance and its first since the 2020 bubble season.
USA TODAY Sports will bring you the latest news, updates, analysis and more throughout Game 5. Follow along.
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets win first NBA title in Game 5 nail-biter over Heat
For the first time in franchise history the Denver Nuggets are NBA champions.
The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 to clinch the best-of-seven series 4-1 and win the NBA Finals.
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Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds in the win.
The gritty Heat led for most of the game, but the Nuggets fought back in the third quarter and only trailed 71-70 entering the fourth quarter. Denver and Miami traded blows in the final quarter, but the Nuggets were able to get timely stops down the stretch and made clutch free throws to seal the game.
— Tyler Dragon
Third quarter update: Heat 71, Nuggets 70
After being down 51-44 at halftime, the Nuggets were able to generate some momentum in the third quarter. Jamal Murray drilled a three to tie the game 60-60 with 6:46 in third quarter and forced a Heat timeout.
At the time it was only Denver’s second made 3-point field goal of the game.
Despite the rough shooting from behind the arc, Denver was able to trim its deficit 71-70 at the end of the third quarter in large part because of Michael Porter Jr. The small forward had a creative drive and finish in transition.
Porter also made a three to give the Nuggets a brief lead. Porter has 16 points entering the fourth quarter.
Bam Adebayo has a team-best 20 points for the Heat.
― Tyler Dragon
Terrible shooting from long range
The Nuggets haven’t been able to find their touch from three-point range. Denver was 2-20 on three-point field goals at the 3:58 mark of the third quarter. The Heat haven’t shot much better. Miami’s shooting 5-22 from behind the arc.
Halftime update: Heat 51, Nuggets 44
The Heat took their momentum from the end of the first quarter into the second while Denver had foul trouble. Besides Aaron Gordon picking up his third foul of the half, Jamal Murray committed a shooting foul on Jimmy Butler midway through the quarter that had the crowd at Ball Arena booing loudly. Butler made both his free throws.
Bruce Brown had a steal and a layup that brought the Nuggets to within four and forced Erik Spoelstra to call a timeout. The Heat outscored Denver 12-9 from there, but neither team’s shots were falling consistently.
A long toss from Jokic at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Bam Adebayo leads the Heat with 18 points and nine rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. and Jokic each have nine points for the Nuggets. Murray has been held to four points. He’s averaged 23 in the series.
― Victoria Hernandez
Aaron Gordon in early foul trouble
Aaron Gordon found himself on the bench in the first half.
The Nuggets power forward picked up his third personal foul with over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. Nuggets coach Mike Malone quickly subbed Gordon out following his third foul.
The Nuggets trailed 30-27 when Gordon checked out of the lineup.
Gordon had a breakout performance in Denver’s Game 4 win with a game-high 27 points.
― Tyler Dragon
First quarter update: Heat 24, Nuggets 22
Neither team started well. The Nuggets committed four turnovers in the first four minutes of the opening quarter, and the Heat missed 12 of their first 14 shots.
The Nuggets found composure and took a 12-5 lead ‒ after falling behind 5-0 to start the game. Miami settled in, too, getting production from Bam Adebayo (14 points, six rebounds) and Max Strrus (eight points), who combined for 22 of Miami’s 24 points in the first quarter.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had three points, three rebounds and two assists, but he picked up his second foul with 2:51 left in the quarter, sending him to the bench. Jokic’s foul situation is worth watching. He had foul trouble in Game 4, but the Nuggets managed the minutes without him on the court. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets with seven points and seven rebounds.
Denver was 10-for-24 from the field but just 1-for-8 on 3-pointers; Miami was 10-for-28 and 1-for-6.
— Jeff Zillgitt
Denver rapper Trev Rich hypes crowd up for Game 5 of NBA Finals
Denver rapper Trev Rich opened Game 5 of the NBA Finals by narrating a Nuggets hype video ahead of the national anthem. He has made his name as a leader of the local music scene and was nominated for a Grammy for his work on the soundtrack for “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.” He appeared on “Elevate” with Denzel Curry and Cordae, who is expecting a child with tennis star Naomi Osaka. He also was featured on “Whole Team,” which was part of the “Madden ‘23” soundtrack.
— Victoria Hernandez
Game 5 starting lineups
The Nuggets went with their usual starting lineup of Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic for Game 5.
The Heat started Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo.
— Tyler Dragon
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats performed Game 5 national anthem
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats gave a folksy rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” at Ball Arena ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The group wore Denver Nuggets shirts as they stood at center court together while the arena lit up in red, white and blue lights.
The group, who also performed the national anthem ahead of Game 1, is best known for their platinum-certified song “S.O.B.” They released their newest EP, “What If” earlier this month.
— Victoria Hernandez
Nikola Jokic 2023 playoff stats
The two-time league MVP is averaging a near triple-double through 19 games this postseason: 30.1 points, 13.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game.
Jimmy Butler playoff stats
Through 21 playoff games, Butler is averaging 27.2 points on 47.6% shooting, including 35.6% from 3. He’s also grabbing 6.6 rebounds, dishing out 5.9 assists and snagging 1.7 steals per game.
Over 64 regular-season games, Butler averaged 22.9 points on 53.9% shooting (35% from 3), 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Tyler Herro available for Game 5
Tyler Herro (hand) is available to play in Game 5, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra announced pregame. The guard hasn’t played since Game 1 of Miami’s opening-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“He’s done everything he needed to do. We appreciate all the work that he’s put in. It’s been a long whatever, six, seven weeks of this. He’s put himself out there, available. It’s all hands on deck,” Spoelstra said pregame. “So we’ll go with our initial, our normal rotation, and then we’ll just see how the game plays out. We have no idea how this game’s going to play out, but it’s great to have everybody available.”
The Heat upgraded Herro to questionable hours before for Monday’s game. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists during the 2022-23 regular season.
Mike Malone: ‘This is gonna be the hardest thing we’ve ever done’
The Nuggets are on the verge of winning their first championship in franchise history. Is Denver up for the challenge? Mike Malone believes his team is ready.
“Our guys have been really locked in and focused. We all fully understand the opportunity that we have in front of us. It’s not gonna be easy,” Malone said during his pregame press conference. “This is gonna be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done. (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) is the only guy in that room who has ever won a championship. Tonight is gonna be another example of us trying to achieve something that none of us have achieved. All the guys are excited for the opportunity.”
— Tyler Dragon
NBA Finals Game 5 referees
Crew chief Marc Davis, referee David Guthrie, umpire Josh Tiven and alternate Ed Malloy are the officials for Game 5.
Have the Nuggets ever won a championship?
This would be Denver’s first NBA Finals victory. The Nuggets are at the door, making their first Finals appearance in franchise history. Injuries slowed the Nuggets for a couple of seasons, but they’ve been headed in this direction since they reached the conference finals and lost to the Lakers in the 2020 Orlando bubble.
Best finish before this season: Lost in the conference finals five times, most recently to the Lakers in 2020.
— Jeff Zillgitt
Not watching the spellbinding Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray? You’re missing NBA history.
There are great duos in the NBA, and the Jokic-Murray duo has emerged as one of the best. Their pick-and-roll game is devastating to opponents. They try to make sure the other is getting enough touches to make the offense work. They know how to maximize their strengths and each other’s.
“I’d say it’s a trust and a feel, that’s the best way for me to put it. It’s not really Xs and Os,” Murray said. “It’s just reading the game and trusting that the other is going to make the right play. If he throws it to me, he knows and expects what to see from me, and he knows the mood I’m in, the intensity I’m playing with. …
“I think it’s just a feel and a trust that we’re going to figure it out, and it’s a lot of unselfishness. It’s free flowing. If something is there, we go. If it’s not, we don’t force it.”
It is spellbinding to watch two players control a game with scoring, rebounding and passing.
Other than the NBA and its broadcast partners, it’s no one else’s job to sell these Finals to a sports-watching public. But you’re missing out if you’re not watching Jokic and Murray. You’re missing NBA history.
— Jeff Zillgitt
Nuggets ‘not satisfied’ yet heading into Game 5
Pure joy and satisfaction remain one victory away for the Denver Nuggets.
Beating Phoenix and advancing to the Western Conference finals and beating the Los Angeles Lakers and reaching the NBA Finals were just steps, part of a larger mission to win an NBA championship.
“I speak for 17 players in that locker room and the entire organization: We are not satisfied,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said nearly three weeks ago after Denver swept the Lakers.
The only thing will make this season redeeming and successful is beating the Miami Heat one more time. Up 3-1 in the Finals after Friday’s 108-95 victory, the Nuggets are in position to claim the franchise’s first NBA championship in Game 5 Monday.
— Jeff Zillgitt
‘He’s tough. He’s chill.’ Aaron Gordon just being himself is everything for Nuggets
Nikola Jokic didn’t have a triple-double.
Jamal Murray didn’t score 30-plus points.
But Aaron Gordon scored a playoff career-high 27 points and had seven rebounds and six assists, and when Jokic went to the bench with five fouls early in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets faced a moment of truth.
They emerged with a 108-95 victory against the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, putting Denver up 3-1.
Gordon is part of a thriving team that is playing great basketball at the right time and on the cusp of the franchise’s first NBA championship.
“Aaron did it all for us tonight. He really did,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “We’ve seen that now in four games in the Finals where Aaron has had moments where he has carried us offensively. He made threes tonight (3-for-4), obviously, which is always a good thing, but I couldn’t be more proud of Aaron Gordon and his impact across the board.”
— Jeff Zillgitt
Nikola Jokic in rare company
Nikola Jokic is the third player to average 30 points, 10 rebounds and 55% shooting through the first four games of an NBA Finals, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Nuggets center joins Giannis Antetokounmpo (2021) and Shaquille O’Neal (three times) as the only players to every accomplish the feat.
— Tyler Dragon
Bruce Brown is the latest Nuggets reserve to star in NBA Finals
Denver Nuggets reserve Bruce Brown scored 26 points in the first three games of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
In Game 4 − when the Nuggets needed an additional scorer − Brown scored 21 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as Denver pulled away for a 108-95 victory and a 3-1 series lead.
“Bruce Brown in the fourth quarter was amazing,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “They were giving Jamal (Murray) so much attention that, ‘Let’s get Jamal off the ball, let Bruce make some plays.’ He was aggressive, got to the basket, made shots, and tonight was an impressive performance.”
— Jeff Zillgitt
Bang! ABC/ESPN’s Breen enters rarified air in Game 5 of NBA Finals with 100th broadcast
Mike Breen is currently the dean of television announcers for the NBA Finals — and he is about to enter rarified air space.
The ABC/ESPN announcer will reach another milestone on Monday night in Game 5 of the Denver-Miami series. It will be Breen’s 100th NBA Finals broadcast, making him the third basketball announcer on radio or television to reach that mark. He’ll be the sixth U.S. play-by-play voice to eclipse the mark, including the World Series and Stanley Cup Final.
Breen missed the first two games of last year’s series due to COVID, which briefly delayed him from reaching the century mark.
“I knew how many years I had done the finals, but I never put it into a specific number of games,” said Breen, who is calling his 18th championship series. “I would have never said 100. For some reason, to hear that number was surprising to me, and it’s not something even in my wildest dreams that I thought I could do.”
— Joe Reedy, Associated Press
After Conor McGregor punches, Miami Heat mascot Burnie ready for potential Game 6
Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot who had to visit the emergency room after taking two punches from MMA star Conor McGregor during a promotional announcement in Game 4 on Friday, will be available for a potential Game 6.
“That’s the Miami Heat toughness that we’re talking about,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Sunday, adding, “We won’t reveal who that is, but yeah, he can take a punch and get back up. He’s not going to miss any time.”
The incident happened with 7:35 remaining in the third quarter of Denver’s 108-95 victory in Game 4. The Heat revealed their partnership with McGregor and his pain relief spray called TIDL Sport. It was an awkward presentation as some fans booed McGregor who also sat courtside for the game.
— Jeff Zillgitt
Heat’s Udonis Haslem spoke for many Floridians (and Americans) by bashing Ron DeSantis | Opinion
Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem did something recently that a lot of Floridians likely want to. That a lot of athletes in Florida would probably like to do as well. Hell, that a lot of Americans want to.
He bashed Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and a Presidential hopeful, as an embarrassment to the state. Haslem did it in no uncertain terms. No holding back. No caveats. Haslem spoke the truth and did something important while doing it. He used his power not just to bring attention to the abhorrent things DeSantis is doing in Florida, but also condemn them.
Make no mistake: what Haslem has done is courageous because he risks an attack from DeSantis and his allies. They can try and make his life miserable but Haslem doesn’t seem to care.
— Mike Freeman
NBA Finals Game 5 odds
Tipico Sportsbook has the spread favoring Denver by 8.5 points over Miami. They have the moneyline for Miami set at +305 and for Denver set at –370. They have the over/under for total points set at 209.5
NBA Finals viewership 2023
- Game 1: Denver’s series-opening victory averaged 11.5 million viewers with a peak of 12.7 million viewers.
- Game 2: Miami’s road win pulled in an average of 11.9 million viewers. The game’s highest viewership was 15.2 million viewers.
- Game 3: The Nuggets’ win over the Heat averaged 11.2 million viewers, reaching a high point of 12.3 million viewers.
NBA Finals TV schedule 2023
Here is the full schedule:
*if necessary
