Nuggets outlast Heat in Game 5, win 2023 NBA Finals 4-1 to grab franchise’s first title

The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets will play Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals, with Denver having the chance to clinch the series and the franchise’s first NBA championship. The HeaBut, meanwhile, are hoping to send the series back to Miami for Game 6.

The Nuggets are 8.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, and the total comes in at 210. Denver is -360 on the moneyline, while Miami is +295.

Here are the latest updates from Game 5.

Heat vs. Nuggets Game 5 live updates

Postgame – Jokic has won the Finals MVP award. He was the favorite to win this honor entering the Finals, and there was no way anyone was going to take that away from him as the series went on. The Nuggets have also been listed as the favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA Finals per DraftKings Sportsbook at +500.

End of the fourth quarter – It’s all over! The Nuggets have successfully outlasted Heat in Game 5 to win the 2023 NBA Finals 4-1. There were some tough moments late and a big Butler run, but Jokic, Murray and Denver’s role players held their nerve to secure the win. Brown and Caldwell-Pope had big moments late as well to put the final touches on the title.

Heat +8.5 hits, and the under was destined to hit after that brutal fourth quarter from both teams. Nuggets moneyline connects and Nuggets futures also connect. Denver entered the season at +1800 to win it all, and entered the playoffs at +950 to win it all.

Fourth quarter – Butler hoists up a contested three-point shot and misses, which effectively ends Miami’s chances in Game 5. Bruce Brown steps up to the charity stripe and hits a couple free throws to secure Denver’s first NBA championship.

Fourth quarter – Butler throws the ball away with a chance to take the lead for the Heat, and the Nuggets can sense a championship. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can ice this thing with free throws and one more good defensive possession.

Fourth quarter – Jimmy Butler has woken up in a big way. He’s gone on a personal 13-point run and is taking every big shot for the Heat. On the other side, Jokic is putting the Nuggets on his back in a tightly contested game. This is going to be an exciting finish.

Fourth quarter – Butler has finally woken up with back-to-back three-pointers, and the Heat refuse to go away quietly. Denver has a 86-82 lead with just over three minutes left in Game 5.

Fourth quarter – Murray ends one of the worst combined offensive sequences of the playoffs with a jump shot, and the Nuggets have a 5-point lead over the Heat as we enter the final stretch of Game 5. Butler has been atrocious by his standards, with a 2-12 performance from the field with eight points. If the Heat want to extend this series, he has to wake up in a big way.

Fourth quarter – It didn’t take long for the Nuggets to jump on the Heat in the fourth quarter with a quick 5-0 run to take a 75-71 lead. Denver has been good at closing things out against Miami, who has dominated fourth quarters in the playoffs until the Finals. We’ll see if the Heat can get going or if the Nuggets wrap up this series at home.

End of the third quarter – Lowry hits a triple late and the Heat go into the third quarter with a 71-70 lead over the Nuggets in this pivotal Game 5. Heat +8.5 is still looking good and the under is still safer on the total at 210. The most important aspect of this game, though, is still very much up in the air.

Third quarter – Porter Jr. finally hits a triple and the Nuggets have their first lead since the first quarter. It’s a potential closeout game for Denver and the home crowd is now starting to get into it. Adebayo has gotten shots to go but the Heat are not getting enough from the role players or Butler. This has become a tight game again.

Third quarter – Murray’s triple caps off a 13-5 run for Denver to tie up Game 5 in the third quarter at 60-60. Butler has continued to struggle and seems to be out of sorts, while Jokic is beginning to turn things on. We’ll see if Miami can recover from this jolt or if the Nuggets overpower them in the second half. The foul trouble can still be a concern but so far Denver has continued to be aggressive.

Third quarter – Adebayo has pulled down a rebound early to make his double-double official. Jokic got the first basket of the second half on a nice post play and even converted the and-1, but the Heat are still being aggressive defensively and causing plenty of problems for Denver. Miami leads 55-47 with just under 10 minutes to go in the period.

End of the second quarter – The Heat lead the Nuggets 51-44 at halftime, with Denver battling foul trouble and turnovers. Adebayo essentially has a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Porter Jr. leads the Nuggets with nine points. The live line at DraftKings Sportsbook is now Nuggets -1.5, so Denver is still expected to come back in this game.

Butler has struggled with just eight points, being somewhat passive for most of this half. We’ll see if he can get involved offensively for Miami. Murray is 2-7 from the floor and 0-4 from deep for the Nuggets. Both guys need to pick it up in the second half.

Right now, Heat +8.5 and the under on 210 looks good for bettors.

Second quarter – It’s been a game of runs, and the Nuggets have the latest one. Miami was on a 31-13 run before Denver rattled off six straight points to cut a 10-point deficit to four points. Jokic and Murray are both in the game with two fouls, while Gordon remains out with three fouls.

Second quarter – The role players are stepping up for Miami. Duncan Robinson has five points, Caleb Martin has six and Kyle Lowry is chipping in defensively. This has lead to a nice 10-point lead for the Heat in the second quarter. The Nuggets are going to have to figure out their rotation on the fly with all this foul trouble, so Miami has a great chance to take advantage to close the first half.

Second quarter – The Denver crowd is not liking the foul calls, and Aaron Gordon has picked up a third foul in the first half. Jokic is back in for the Nuggets, who are trying to avoid falling into too much of a hole with their key players battling foul issues.

Second quarter – Butler has been more aggressive to open the frame, and he’s just delivered the second foul on Jamal Murray in the process. This is a dangerous time for the Nuggets, who have their two best players in some early foul trouble. Miami leads 30-25 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half.

End of the first quarter – Adebayo is up to 14 points for the Heat, who hold a 24-22 lead over the Nuggets in Game 5. Jokic is sitting with two fouls, which means someone else will need to step up offensively. Michael Porter Jr. has been more aggressive with seven points and five rebounds.

First quarter – Nikola Jokic just picked up his second foul of the first quarter with just over two and a half minutes left, which means he’s likely going to sit for a bit. The Heat have grabbed the lead after some big buckets from Adebayo. Miami is on a 13-2 run and could break this game open if the Nuggets’ offense gets in a funk with Jokic out.

First quarter – The Heat have made a nice run of their own to get back in this game, now trailing only 16-14 after falling behind by as many as eight. Miami’s offense has not been great in this series, particularly from deep, so keeping things close will be important throughout the game before making that typical fourth quarter run.

First quarter – After starting the game 2-4, the Heat have missed 10 straight shots. Jimmy Butler has missed a couple easy layups and a pair of free throws. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have gone on a 10-0 run and now lead 12-5 in the first quarter.

First quarter – Things have been really sloppy offensively for Denver, as the Nuggets have four turnovers in the opening two minutes and change. Miami leads 5-2 early.

First quarter – Bam Adebayo gets the scoring started in Game 5 with a steal and a breakaway dunk for the Heat. Adebayo has really come alive in these Finals, and he could be taking that next leap as a player on the biggest stage.

Pregame – Both teams will roll with the same starting lineups as the last game.

Pregame – The Heat are getting Tyler Herro back for this contest, despite the guard initially being ruled out heading into the day. Herro was upgraded to questionable and is going to give things a go, even if the optics are a bit odd here. This seems like a desperation move from the Heat, but Herro is unlikely to have a huge role as he’s expected to play off the bench. We’ll see if he can have an impact in this game as he powers through his hand injury.

Pregame – Here’s all the DK Nation content surrounding tonight’s game. We’ve got game picks, Heat and Nuggets player prop, player specials, same game parlays and DFS lineup advice. We’ve also looked at how the public is betting on Game 5 and the officials for tonight’s game.