Nuggets Reach First Finals
The Denver Nuggets reached the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, completing a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 113-111 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets will face either the Miami Heat (in Denver) or Boston Celtics (in Boston), with Game 1 scheduled for June 1.
The Nuggets — who joined the NBA for the 1976-77 season following the ABA-NBA merger — played 46 seasons before reaching the NBA Finals for the first time, the longest such drought in league history:
46 — Denver Nuggets (1977-2022)
36 — Cleveland Cavaliers (1971-2006)
25 — Brooklyn Nets (1977-2001)
25 — Dallas Mavericks (1980-2005)
24 — Chicago Bulls (1967-1990)
* Five franchises have yet to make an NBA Finals appearance: LA Clippers (53 seasons), Minnesota Timberwolves (34), Charlotte Hornets (33), Memphis Grizzlies (28), and New Orleans Pelicans (21).
The Nuggets trailed by 15 points at halftime before rallying for the win. It’s the second-largest halftime deficit overcome to win a playoff game in franchise history, trailing only the 16-point deficit they faced on Sep. 13, 2020 versus the LA Clippers.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double, producing team highs of 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists. It’s the 14th time Jokic has been his team’s outright leader in all three categories in a playoff game, breaking a tie with Larry Bird for the second-most such games in NBA history.
It’s the second time Jokic has recorded a 30-point triple-double in a closeout win this postseason. The only other player in NBA history to produce two such games in a single postseason is LeBron James in 2020.
Jokic now has eight triple-doubles in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles in a single postseason in NBA history:
8 — Nikola Jokic (2023)
7 — Wilt Chamberlain (1967)
6 — Magic Johnson (1982)
6 — Draymond Green (2019)
Jokic joined Jason Kidd (2002 ECF) as the only players in NBA history to record three triple-doubles in a conference finals. Jokic, Kidd, and Magic Johnson (1983 WCF) are the only players to average a triple-double in a conference finals.
Jokic averaged 27.8 PPG, 14.5 RPG, and 11.8 APG in the conference finals. He also averaged a triple-double in the conference semifinals (34.5 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 10.3 APG). The only other player in NBA history to average a triple-double in two series in a single postseason is Wilt Chamberlain in 1967.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray scored 25 points, shooting 10-18 from the field and making all five of his free throws. He also dished out five assists and recorded two steals.
Murray averaged 32.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.3 APG in the conference finals. He and Jokic became the first teammates in NBA history to each average at least 25 PPG, 5 RPG, and 5 APG in the same conference finals.
Aaron Gordon was the third Nugget to record a 20-point game, scoring 22 points on 9-14 shooting from the floor. Gordon also contributed six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks, and he did not commit a turnover.
The Lakers’ James scored a game-high 40 points in the loss (31 of them in the first half), adding 10 rebounds and nine assists. James shot 15-25 from the field — including 4-7 from 3-point range — and made six of his seven free throws.
The 38-year-old James became the oldest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a playoff game (age in years-days):
38-143 — LeBron James (May 22, 2023)
36-273 — Karl Malone (April 22, 2000)
36-055 — Chris Paul (June 30, 2021)
35-284 — James (Oct. 9, 2020)
35-243 — Reggie Miller (April 24, 2001)
It’s the 26th time James has recorded at least 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game, nine more such games than any other player in NBA history (Michael Jordan, 17). It’s the 17th time he’s recorded a 40-point double-double in the postseason, also the most such games in NBA history.
Lakers center Anthony Davis tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks, but made just six of his 15 attempts from the field. Davis blocked 50 shots in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, becoming the first player to record at least 50 blocks in a postseason since Serge Ibaka in 2012 (59).