Jokic makes history as he leads Denver Nuggets to first-ever NBA title
Serbian named Finals MVP, becomes lowest drafted winner ever
Nikola Jokic was named Finals MVP as he led the Denver Nuggets to the 2022-23 NBA title following their 94-89 win over Miami Heat in Game 5 of the series. The Nuggets secured a 4-1 series win to claim a first-ever title.
After taking a 3-1 lead back to Denver following their Game 4 win in Miami, the Nuggets were on the brink of history in front of their fans.
The Heat were not going down without a fight and finished the first quarter with a two-point lead, extending their lead in the second quarter to finish the first half with a 51-44 lead over the Nuggets.
The Nuggets came roaring in the third quarter, cutting the Heat’s lead to one point heading into the fourth quarter. They overcame their deficit in the fourth quarter to finish the game with a 94-89 win, claiming a first title.
Jokic led the scoring for the Nuggets with 28 points and 16 rebounds, and Michael Porter Jr scored 16 points and 13 rebounds. Jamal Murray contributed 14 points for the Nuggets in the game.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for the Heat and Bam Adebayo scored 20 points and 12 rebounds in the game.
Jokic, who was drafted 41st in the 2014 draft, became the lowest drafted player ever to win the NBA Finals MVP honours. The Serbian, who lost this year’s regular season MVP crown to Joel Embiid, has now won the Finals MVP to go with two regular season MVP honours in 2021 and 2022. He also becomes the first-ever player in the history of the NBA to lead the playoffs in points, rebounds and assists in the same season.
