The NBA Finals Game 4: Bruce Brown, Aaron Gordon Surpasses Nikola Jokic in Points for Denver Nuggets

Bruce Brown, a backup for the Denver Nuggets, saw Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat in front of him with a minute left in Game 4 and took an isolation 3-point shot, making only four of them all season despite playing 2,770 minutes. Denver is at ease in these NBA Finals.

Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets remarked, “When he did a step-back 3, I wanted to punch him,” referring to the traditional Heat rally that began the fourth quarter. “But when he made it, I was so happy.”

Brown and teammate Aaron Gordon combined for 48 points on 19-of-26 shooting (73.0%), and Denver rolled to a 108-95 road victory, increasing their series lead to 3-1. Jokic and Jamal Murray were not the unstoppable scoring duo they were in Games 1 and 3, and Denver now leads the series 3-1.

On Monday night, the Nuggets will host Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where they will have a chance to win the franchise’s first NBA title.
This was the perfect opportunity for the Heat to steal a game and get back in a losing series against the best offense in the NBA.

The South Beach nightlife was not being lit ablaze by Jokic and Murray 48 hours after their record-setting 30-point triple-doubles. The Nuggets scored 119 points per 100 possessions in the postseason despite scoring only 38 points on 13-of-36 shooting (36.1%).

Jokic scoffed at a statistical line that stands as a testament to how much we expect from the Serbian, and how much he expects from himself. His 23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks were only matched in the Finals by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Tim Duncan.

After missing 11 of his first 19 shots and rolling his ankle in the first quarter, Jokic stated, “It’s not big — 23, 12 and 4?” This is the fourth time that 23, 10, and 4 have appeared in a sentence. To be honest, I have no idea. Nice. It works well. I’m at a loss for words.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jokic picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in a span of 17 seconds. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with 8:42 remaining in the game after his team cut into a 13-point Denver advantage by scoring the next eight points.

Malone went back to what he knew would work, but with Gordon playing Jokic’s small-ball screener job and passing to a curling Murray for a 26-footer that restored Denver’s eight-point lead. The Heat were never closer than six points in the final 8:25 of the game, during which neither Murray nor Jokic scored.

The 36-year-old veteran of the Nuggets, Jeff Green, made his only shot of the night, a corner 3-pointer, for the 11th of Murray’s 12 assists, which cut the deficit to three points in the middle of the fourth quarter.

“They were blitzing every pick-and-roll, just basically trying to limit my shot attempts, and I wasn’t fighting it,” said Murray, who became the first player in Finals history to have at least 10 assists in each of the first four games.

We have a team. I’m not going to fight it because we have a lot of individuals who can come in and make an immediate impact on the game and a lot of guys who are playing with a lot of confidence. I have four other guys out there so that I can make an easy pass if you want.

It wasn’t Jokic this time, so Brown got all the attention. He capped off a three-on-one fast break with a layup. He outdribbled Robinson, luring Heat great Jimmy Butler into fouling him near the basket.

The experienced second-round pick sped through the crowd to make a game-winning shot from midrange, giving his team a 2-0 lead.

With Miami’s star center Bam Adebayo pressing him, he sank an up-and-under layup with a bank shot. In addition, he practiced his step-back.

By game’s end, Brown had pushed the Heat closer to their summer break with 11 of his 21 points coming in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.

In the second quarter, when he scored 15 of his 27 points, Gordon did the same thing, taking advantage of the Heat’s carelessness in defending him and his size advantage inside the paint.

The norms Jokic established have produced a society in which everyone is expected to take part, to be on the move, to attack, and to be tracked down.

And it helped him win even when he wasn’t playing. While Boston’s stars disappeared and the team struggled against Miami, Denver’s bench players performed as expected.

This time they met on the cusp of a championship and knew they had to work together.

According to Gordon, “that’s just how this team is built.” We have guys who can perform under pressure on a consistent basis. It’s possible that tonight won’t be your night, but there’s always the chance that it will be.

This group is great at identifying those who have found a groove and can keep the momentum continuing. Simply put, I want to perform at a high level for the sake of my team. When my team needs me, I step up because they’re my brothers on the field.
A unified squad, not even Butler and Adebayo, can crack the dogged Heat’s group of undrafted craftsmen. Because of their familiarity, the Nuggets are now only double-covering one of the stars.

Neither can Erik Spoelstra, the head coach for Miami, find a way to shake up Denver. He has used up his last of the dissolvents on Caleb Martin and Kevin Love.

As Gordon put it, “I think we have a counter to pretty much everything.”

When Jokic departed the court, his team had a 10-point lead and only 9:24 until the two-time MVP could tie the Finals or take a clear series lead, but they held strong.

The three field goals scored by Miami in their ten possessions with Jokic on the bench should not be discounted.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope forced a travel by stealing the ball from Butler three times in a row, standing up Adebayo on the block, and helping onto Robinson. With 4:09 left on the clock and his team leading by nine, Jokic came back in.

Malone covered his eyes and remarked, “All season long, it was like, ‘Oh, the non-Nikola minutes, kind of a crapshoot.'” We have a smaller roster for the playoffs, but the guys who are playing are giving it their all and protecting the home court.

Our attack isn’t as pretty as it was with Nikola, but the five guys we’ve got out there are defending, and that’s what makes them so effective.

The difference between this Nuggets team and the one that got dominated by the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors in the previous two playoffs is this and Murray’s good health.

There is no lone champion. Rings are earned collectively, and Denver has looked like the greatest team in every playoff round.

After a long season, “we’re just ready to win a championship,” Murray added. As the saying goes, “We have the tools to do it.”

About Author