Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets dominated the series with the LA Lakers and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
The two-time NBA MVP went for another triple-double of 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, as the Nuggets came back from a 15-point deficit and defeated the LA Lakers in Game 4 (113-111) to sweep the series (4-0).
This was the first Western Conference title for Denver in 47 seasons, while the Lakers saw their remarkable playoff run come to an end in a disappointing way. LeBron James scored 31 of his 40 points in the first half, but missed two tying shots in the final seconds and the Nuggets went on to win the game and close the series.
This was the first series sweep for the Nuggets in franchise history and their first against the Lakers in eight postseason meetings.
“I think that’s why playoffs are so nice and so interesting, because you don’t care about how tired you are,” Nikola Jokic said. “You don’t care about minutes, fouls, shots, percentage. You just want to win a game. Some plays today we weren’t playing good defense sometimes, (but) you can win it in every kind of possible way.”
“For that game to go down to the wire and for the ball to be in LeBron James’ hands, those seconds were an eternity,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “When the buzzer went off, it was almost surreal for a second. Couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets will have several days of rest as the NBA Finals start on Wednesday, June 1st. They will face either the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics, with the Heat leading the series 3-0.
“It’s amazing.” 🥺 pic.twitter.com/vyrJuhR6Ng
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 23, 2023
