The Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 94-89 on Monday night to win a first NBA championship in their 47 years in the league.
Led by two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets overcame a 10-point deficit in the second quarter to close out the series 4-1.
The Heat threatened to make a comeback of their own in the final minutes before a costly turnover by Miami star Jimmy Butler gave Denver crucial free throws. “The job is done, we can go home now,” said Jokić, who finished the game with 28 points and 16 rebounds, in an on-court interview after clinching the title.
He was also named the finals MVP after averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists across the series. The Serbian All-Star, who was a second-round pick in the 2014 draft, also became the lowest drafted player to win a finals MVP.