Aaron Gordon scored a career playoff high 27 points in an all-out attack on the Miami Heat on Friday that helped push the Denver Nuggets to the brink of their first NBA championship.
Gordon led all scorers in the Nuggets’ 108-95 victory over the Heat in Miami that put Denver up 3-1 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.
The player once known for his dunking prowess -- including runner-up finishes in the 2016 and 2020 All-Star weekend slam-dunk contests -- showed just how versatile he has become as he connected on 11 of 15 shots from the field -- including three of four from three-point range.
Gordon’s big second quarter helped the Nuggets gain control even as Nikola Jokic shook off a twisted ankle.
When foul trouble sidelined Jokic for more than five minutes in the fourth, Bruce Brown took it to Miami.
Brown scored 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench, pouring in 11 in the final period as the Nuggets repelled every Heat run.
Miami had cut the deficit to eight when Brown converted a three-point play to push Denver’s lead back to double digits.
His pull-up three-pointer with 1:21 remaining was the final dagger, giving Denver a 108-91 lead.
(Text inputs from AFP)
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