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Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 108-95 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Denver survived Jokic’s fifth foul with crucial contributions across the roster to put the Nuggets on the brink of the franchise’s first championship.
Game 5 will be on Monday at the Ball Arena where the Nuggets are 9-1 in the playoffs. Stephen A. Smith had this to say after Miami’s back-to-back losses on its home floor:
“The starting backcourt for the Miami Heat had two points! … They didn’t get it done. It’s over! … Let me repeat what I said, the starting backcourt of the Miami Heat scored two points in an NBA Finals.
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"When you’re looking forward to a series that will extend to six or seven games, could you give us more than two points?! That’s really ridiculous.”
Gabe Vincent and Max Strus combined to shoot 1-10, including 0-7 from behind the arc. Vincent, in his past two games, both Heat losses, shot 3-16, hitting just 1-10 3-pointers. After a superb Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, Vincent has largely disappeared versus the Denver Nuggets.
Max Strus hasn’t fared well either in the NBA Finals. This is the third time in four games that he badly struggled with his shots. In Games 1, 3 and 4, he was only 1-21, including 1-16 from long-range. Strus failed to score in the series opener and Game 4.
Kyle Lowry probably had his best game of the series tonight. Erik Spoelstra was also forced to play him more considering how Miami’s starting backcourt lost its shooting touch. Lowry played 33 minutes and finished with 13 points on 3-7 shooting.
Duncan Robinson also made up for Max Strus and Gabe Vincent’s struggles in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Robinson contributed 12 points, hitting 5-7 field-goal attempts, including 2-4 from deep.
The Miami Heat are now down 3-1 in the series. If they want to bring the championship round back to South Beach, the backcourt has to step up big-time.
The Denver Nuggets’ size and length have given the Miami Heat fits in the NBA Finals
The Denver Nuggets’ frontcourt of Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. has obvious advantages in size and length over their Miami Heat counterparts. Jokic, in particular, often seems like a man among boys when he’s deep inside the paint.
Often overlooked in the NBA Finals is also the Nuggets' superior size and length in the backcourt. Gabe Vincent is 6-3, 190 lbs. Jamal Murray, who is also more athletic, is 6-4, 220 lbs. For this reason, the Miami Heat often use Jimmy Butler as Murray’s primary defender.
Putting Butler on Murray has created problems for the Heat all series long. Vincent often finds himself guarding Aaron Gordon, who has been a beast inside the paint. Several of Gordon’s game-high 27 points in Game 4 were a result of mismatches where a smaller player is guarding him.
Murray’s backcourt partner, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is 6-5 and 210 lbs. He has no problem guarding Vincent and Strus. He would even take on Jimmy Butler on certain occasions.
The first four games of the NBA Finals have showcased how the Denver Nuggets’ edge in size and length has made an impact on both ends of the floor in the series.
