Nuggets vs. Heat final score, highlights: Nikola Jokic leads Denver to historic championship win

Gilbert McGregor

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Nuggets vs. Heat final score, highlights: Nikola Jokic leads Denver to historic championship win image

After 47 long years, the Nuggets have won their first-ever NBA championship.

Led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Denver completed its historic run to a title with a five-point win over a feisty Miami team in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Jokic finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds while Murray finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.

Miami didn't go down without a fight, but ultimately it didn't have enough. Jimmy Butler overcame early struggles to finish with 21 points in the game while Bam Adebayo cooled off after an 18-point first half to finish with 20 points on the night.

The Sporting News tracked highlights from the Nuggets' historic win.

MORE: How NBA title validates Nikola Jokic's place among all-time greats

Nuggets vs. Heat score

Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Nuggets 22 22 26 24 94
Heat 24 27 20 18 89

NBA Finals Game 5 leading scorers

Nikola Jokic: 28 points

Jimmy Butler: 21 points

Bam Adebayo: 20 points

Nuggets vs. Heat score, highlights from Game 5

(All times Eastern)

Final: Nuggets 94, Heat 89

10:58 p.m. — Jimmy Butler's 3-point attempt is no good and the Heat foul Bruce Brown.

Brown knocks down both free throws to give Denver a five-point lead with 14.3 seconds remaining.

Nuggets 94, Heat 89. The fans at Ball Arena can feel it.

10:55 p.m. — Jimmy Butler gets caught in no man's land on a drive and turns it over.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who stole Butler's errant pass, is fouled and drains both free throws to give Denver a three-point advantage.

Nuggets 92, Heat 89. 24.7 seconds stand between Denver and history.

10:54 p.m. — A clutch putback from Bruce Brown puts Denver back ahead.

Nuggets 90, Heat 89. Less than one minute remains.

10:51 p.m. — Jimmy Butler sinks all three free throws to cut it to one, the Heat get the stop and on the ensuing possession gives his team the lead.

Nikola Jokic puts Denver back in the lead for a brief moment before Butler happens again.

Butler drains two more freebies, scoring all of the Heat's last 13 points. Heat 89, Nuggets 88 with 1:38 remaining in the game.

10:48 p.m. — Challenge unsuccessful.

Jimmy Butler will get three free throws to potentially cut the deficit to one. These are Miami's first free throws of the second half.

10:45 p.m. — This is getting good.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jimmy Butler trade a pair of 3s and Denver leads by four late in the game.

Nuggets 86, Heat 82 with 3:21 remaining in regulation. Timeout on the floor as Denver has called for a coach's challenge after Jimmy Butler was fouled on a 3-point attempt.

10:38 p.m. — Another big moment from Jamal Murray, who is up to 14 points after a jumper to put Denver up by five.

The Nuggets lead 81-76 with 6:42 remaining in regulation.

It's been a quiet second half for Bam Adebayo, who has just two points after scoring 18 points in the first half. Jimmy Butler has just eight points on 2-for-12 shooting from the field.

10:35 p.m. — Kyle Lowry is doing all he can for Miami.

Lowry's got 12 points, all from 3-pointers. Championship DNA from the veteran.

10:27 p.m. — A quick five-point sprint from Denver causes Miami to call a timeout just 61 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets lead 75-71 with 10:59 remaining in the quarter.

Jamal Murray drained his second 3 of the game to move up to 12 points on the night, though Denver is still just 4-for-24 from long range. That the Nuggets are now in the lead should be encouraging as the game goes on.

If Denver gets hot, Miami's fate may be sealed.

10:26 p.m. — Denver may be down a starter. The Nuggets have announced that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is questionable to return to the game with a sprained right wrist.

End of Third Quarter: Heat 71, Nuggets 70

10:23 p.m. — Denver won the third quarter, but Miami is clinging on to a one-point lead as it has 12 minutes to save its season.

Kyle Lowry is showing his championship mettle, making big plays for the Heat as the stakes get higher. He's up to nine points, six rebounds and four assists through three quarters.

Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Michael Porter Jr. is up to 16 points and 12 rebounds, including some electrifying play in transition.

10:12 p.m. — The Heat are back out to a four-point lead courtesy of a Caleb Martin layup.

Miami leads 64-60 with 3:58 remaining in the frame.

The Heat are shooting just 25-for-66 from the field and 5-for-21 from deep but the Nuggets are shooting 2-for-20 from 3-point range and have committed 11 turnovers.

This has the makings of one that will continue to go back and forth down the stretch.

10:05 p.m. — We're all tied up in Denver.

A triple from Jamal Murray evens the score at 60 with 6:44 remaining in the third. Murray's got nine points in the game, but he and the Nuggets are coming alive, as is the crowd in Denver.

Timeout on the floor as Miami looks to regroup.

9:57 p.m. — Nikola Jokic gets the second half going with an and-one finish in the post.

He's up to 12 points for the game and the Nuggets will look to claw back to close this series out.

Halftime: Heat 51, Nuggets 44

9:40 p.m. — This is the look of a Heat team that is not interested in their season ending tonight.

Miami enters the halftime break with a seven-point lead thanks in large part to an 18-point first half from Bam Adebayo, who has also pulled down nine rebounds and is shooting 8-for-13 from the field.

Jimmy Butler, who is 2-for-8 from the field, is up to eight points thanks to his taking advantage at the free throw line.

Denver, which has committed nine turnovers, is led by nine points from both Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. Jamal Murray has just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field.

9:27 p.m. — A quick 6-0 run has the Nuggets right back in it.

Timeout on the floor as Miami leads 39-35 with 5:37 remaining in the half. Nikola Jokic is up to 7 points on 3-for-3 shooting to go along with three assists and three rebounds.

A Bruce Brown dunk in transition has rejuvenated the crowd at Ball Arena.

9:21 p.m. — After trailing by as many as eight points early on, Miami now leads by 10.

Heat lead 39-29. 7:17 left in the second quarter.

Miami is getting to the line and capitalizing, shooting 9-for-11 from the charity stripe. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson have come up big for the Heat off the bench, with a Robinson layup forcing the Nuggets to call a timeout.

Denver has no double-digit scorers and has cooled off to shooting just 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) from the field.

9:17 p.m. — More foul trouble for Denver.

Aaron Gordon is up to three fouls and Jamal Murray has picked up his second foul of the night. It's just early in the second quarter. Nikola Jokic has already been sitting with two fouls but is set to come in for Gordon.

Miami leads 32-27 with 9:09 left in the second.

End of First Quarter: Heat 24, Nuggets 22

9:07 p.m. — Miami takes a two-point lead into the second frame.

Bam Adebayo (14) and Max Strus (8) have combined to score 22 of Miami's 24 points, their combined total matching the total points from Denver on the night.

For the Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. leads the way with seven points and seven rebounds in the first quarter of action, making his presence felt as both a scorer and rebounder.

9 p.m. — The Heat respond.

Behind 11 first-quarter points from Bam Adebayo, Miami is back in the lead. The Heat lead 21-18 with 2:14 left in the first. Adebayo's 11 points lead all scorers while Max Strus isn't far behind with eight points in the game.

Nikola Jokic, who has three points, three rebounds and two assists, has picked up his second foul and will sit in favor of DeAndre Jordan.

8:51 p.m. — And here come the Nuggets.

After Jimmy Butler missed both of his free throws, the Nuggets scored six more unanswered, making it a 12-0 run since the Heat got out to a quick 5-0 lead.

Denver leads 12-5 with 5:57 remaining in the first. Timeout Miami.

The Heat are now shooting an ice-cold 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) from the field.

8:45 p.m. — We've reached our first break in the action, and Denver leads 6-5. 6:58 remains in the opening frame.

It's been a sloppy start for the Nuggets, who have already committed four turnovers in just over five minutes. It's a cold start as Miami (2-for-12) and Denver (3-for-7) are shooting a combined 5-for-19 from the field.

Jimmy Butler, who is scoreless so far, will step to the line after the break.

8:39 p.m. — Bam Adebayo gets Miami on the board first with a steal and dunk in transition.

Game 5 is underway.

Pregame

8:15 p.m. — Starting for the Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic.

8 p.m. — Same starting five for the Heat, who will go with Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, and Bam Adebayo to open Game 5.

7:10 p.m. — It's official. It will be "all hands on deck" for the Heat, who, per head coach Erik Spoelstra, will have Tyler Herro for the first time since April 16.

12:40 p.m. — After spending nearly two months on the bench, Tyler Herro is expected to suit up for the Heat in Game 5. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the former Sixth Man of the Year will attempt his return after breaking his hand in Game 1 of the opening round.

What channel is Nuggets vs. Heat on?

  • Date: Monday, June 12
  • TV channel: ABC
  • Live streaming: Sling TV

Nuggets vs. Heat will air on ABC. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the NBA Finals on Sling TV, which is now offering half off your first month! Stream the sports you love starting at just $20 in your first month with Sling Orange to catch all the games on ABC.

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What time is Nuggets vs. Heat tonight?

  • Date: Monday, June 12
  • Time: 8:30 p.m. ET | 5:30 p.m. PT

Nuggets vs. Heat will tip off around 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, June 12. The game will be played at Ball Arena in Denver.

Nuggets vs. Heat odds

Denver is an 8.5-point favorite heading into Game 5.

Game Lines Nuggets Heat
Spread -8.5 +8.5
Moneyline -375 +300

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA. Click HERE to sign up.

Nuggets vs. Heat schedule

Here is the complete schedule for the 2023 NBA Finals:

Date Game Time (ET) TV channel
June 1 Nuggets 104, Heat 93 8:30 p.m. ABC
June 4 Heat 111, Nuggets 108 8 p.m. ABC
June 7 Nuggets 109, Heat 94 8:30 p.m. ABC
June 9 Nuggets 108, Heat 95 8:30 p.m. ABC
June 12 Game 5 8:30 p.m. ABC
June 15 Game 6* 8:30 p.m. ABC
June 18 Game 7* 8 p.m. ABC

*If necessary

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.