Final thoughts
Well, the NBA finals are officially on life support, with this seemingly unstoppable Nuggets team needing just one more victory in the next three games to close out the Heat. They will get their first shot at home on Monday, history suggests that it may be all they need.
Here at the Guardian, we will continue to cover our coverage of the 2023 NBA finals until its bitter end (well, bitter for at least one of these two teams). This, however, marks the end of today’s live blog. Thank you to everybody who followed along with all of the basketball action with me throughout these last few hours. Ciao!
Aaron Gordon
I keep saying that the key for Denver is for Jokić to have a good game but not necessarily be the team’s leading scorer. This time around it was Aaron Gordon who had a game-high 27 points.
Meanwhile, the Heat made a valiant effort to pull off one of their fourth-quarter comebacks but they have learned that it’s just difficult to do against this Nuggets team.
The Denver Nuggets take a 3-1 lead in the 2023 NBA finals
And that will do it, the Denver Nuggets are now a single win away from winning their first-ever championship! They can do it in Game 5 on their own court and the series heads back to Denver
Updated
Nuggets 108-95 Heat, FINAL
Caleb Martin makes a dunk,but the Heat have less than a minute to make up a 13-point deficit. That’s not happening.
In fact, the Nuggets just dribble it out as they win Game 5 of the NBA finals!
Nuggets 108-93 Heat, 47.2, 4th quarter
Adebayo hits two free throws, which will only affect the final score.
Nuggets 108-91 Heat, 1:11, 4th quarter
The rim is an ocean-wide for Brown, who looks down another three-pointer. That’s 11 fourth-quarter points from Brown.
Nuggets 105-91 Heat, 1:49, 4th quarter
Adebayo with a layup. Brown drives to the basket and every single time the ball leaves his hands it gets in the basket. Miami turns the ball over and Caldwell-Pope hits a three pointer! The DAGGER!
Miami calls a timeout, but we’re done here. It’s just about the final margin.
Nuggets 100-89 Heat, 2:36, 4th quarter
Robinson with a floater that rolls its way down the rim but Miami can’t buy a stop. Bruce Brown’s outstanding fourth quarter continues as he scores and gets fouled on the play.
He drains the free throw. We’re getting close to stadium-clearing time here in Miami.
Updated
Nuggets 97-87 Heat, 3:32, 4th quarter
Robinson picks up a foul as we hit a timeout. The Nuggets did what nobody in the Eastern Conference could manage: take control of the fourth quarter right when it looked like everything was going Miami’s favor.
Nuggets 97-87 Heat, 4:04, 4th quarter
Brown gets to the line and makes one of his two free throws, it’s back to a 10-point Nuggets lead.
Nuggets 96-87 Heat, 4:04, 4th quarter
Jokić at the scoring table, ready to come back in. It feels like Miami’s opportunity to pull off the comeback has nearly slipped away. This stretch was their golden opportunity.
Nuggets 96-87 Heat, 4:45, 4th quarter
Heat have a chance to cut it down but Caldwell-Pope knocks the ball loose from Butler and Bruce Brown scores on the other end and I won’t lie, that feels like a key play in this quarter.
Nuggets 94-87 Heat, 6:05, 4th quarter
Gordon fouls Butler, who makes both free throws.
Nuggets 94-85 Heat, 6:21, 4th quarter
Robinson with a smooth floater, have to think he’s starting Game 5 no matter what.
On Denver’s end, Green hits a long three.
Nuggets 91-83 Heat, 6:55, 4th quarter
I commend thee, Sir @HunterFelt, for thy noble self-deprecating confession. 🐺
— WolfPrincess (@MontLupus) June 10, 2023
:I shall tell my inner she-Wolf to stop snarling as it might be interpreted as a form of gloating which doesn't become a Princess, does it?:
Blimey, but The Joker is out at the worst possible time!!!😱 pic.twitter.com/dAiYWlxjoI
I imagine he’s coming back in to finish the game shortly, he’s going to have to do something very obvious in order to foul out of a finals game.
Nuggets 91-83 Heat, 6:55, 4th quarter
Butler scores. Gordon with a layup. After that Nuggets counterpunch, Spoelstra calls a Heat timeout.
Nuggets 89-81 Heat, 8:11, 4th quarter
Earned or not, Butler makes the free throw and the Nuggets will just have to respond.
They do, Murray hits a three-pointer, their first points of the quarter.
The same thing that wasn’t a foul on Love in the first half on a MPJ drive now is a foul on Murray on that Butler drive. Momentum officiating strikes again.
— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) June 10, 2023
Shockingly, there is some rightful questioning about officiating in a Scott Foster game.
This is just the most dangerous fourth quarter team I’ve seen in all my time covering the NBA postseason. It’s ridiculous how little the Heat care about the odds.
Nuggets 86-80 Heat, 8:42, 4th quarter
Gordon misses a three-pointer after a broken offensive possession. Adebayo with a rebound, Robinson finds Butler who drives to the basket. He scores and draws a foul!
An upset Malone calls a timeout, he’s seen what the fourth-quarter Heat has done to many a team before his.
Nuggets 86-78 Heat, 9:13, 4th quarter
Jokić gets called for a fifth foul! An iffy one on the offensive end! That’s very unexpected and Jokić has to sit.
And a shooting foul on Gordon! This is a rough, rough start for Denver who were in control of the game heading into this quarter.
Adebayo makes both free throws. It’s an eight-point game!
Nuggets 86-76 Heat, 9:25, 4th quarter
Miami put out two great defensive stances. Finally, they get Jokić to pick up his fourth foul, but it’s not a shooting foul. Robinson attempts a three and… no good.
Golden opportunities missed by the Heat.
Nuggets 86-76 Heat, 10:20, 4th quarter
After a few scoreless possessions, Robinson hits a huge three pointer. That finally brings the crowd into it.
Nuggets 86-73 Heat, 11:20, 4th quarter
As Spoelstra points out to start the final quarter, an eight-point deficit heading into the fourth is a lot different than a 13-point deficit. The crowd, for one, feels out of it.
I am not going to lie, my prediction is looking very iffy right now.
Nuggets 86-73 Heat, end of the 3rd quarter
Gordon with another alley-oop and another three-pointer. He’s definitely getting the game ball should the Nuggets hold on, which feels very likely now that they have a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Nuggets 81-73 Heat, 1:03, 3rd quarter
Gordon tips in a Braun miss for Denver. Martin hits a three-pointer for Miami.
Nuggets 79-70 Heat, 1:30, 3rd quarter
After all that, Brown hits a huge three-pointer to extend the Nuggets lead. Adebayo finds Butler for another alley-oop, so many of those this game!
Nuggets 76-68 Heat, 2:07, 3rd quarter
The ladders are being carried out. So we’re going to get started soon after a break that’s given extra rest to both sides, so we’ll see if that has any impact on the game.
Oh wait, nevermind, now there’s some sort of medical issue in the stands that delays the game even further. Let’s hope the fan is okay.
Nuggets 76-68 Heat, 2:07, 3rd quarter
That layup was actually goaltending on Adebayo, which I missed because I was too busy looking down at my keyboard. Liveblogging too is something of an athletic event.
They have brought out ladders on the court as they continue to examine the basket.
Nuggets 76-68 Heat, 2:07, 3rd quarter
Brown with a diving layup and now there’s a brief check to make sure the basket is level. The NBA finals: it’s nonstop drama!
Nuggets 74-68 Heat, 2:42, 3rd quarter
Nuggets don’t score out of the timeout. On the other end, Jokić picks up a third foul on Butler, who will go to the line.
I don’t know why I’m counting fouls on Jokić because there’s zero chance he will ever foul out of a playoff game from here on out, but worth noting!
Butler makes both free throws, guess the halftime practice helped.
Updated
Nuggets 74-66 Heat, 3:07, 3rd quarter
Society if Duncan Robinson took Max Strus’s minutes: pic.twitter.com/QxCR9VISXr
— Luis Paez-Pumar (@lppny) June 10, 2023
It’s a tricky decision: when Strus is on, he can light a fire under this team but when he’s not, he’s an empty box score. We might see a starting lineup change in Game 5 should Strus’s cold streak continue.
Nuggets 74-66 Heat, 3:07, 3rd quarter
Robinson with a steal and a score on the other end and that is going to rightfully get Michael Malone to call a Denver timeout. You don’t want to give extra possessions to the Heat team late, no matter what the lead.
Nuggets 74-64 Heat, 3:35, 3rd quarter
Lowry throws it away, but Butler manages to knock the ball out of bounds on the other end to give Miami the next possession.
But the Heat just can’t score. This is starting to look dicey.
Nuggets 74-64 Heat, 4:33, 3rd quarter
Kevin Love is hungry, he puts together an old-fashioned three-point play to keep the Heat in striking distance.
Nuggets 74-61 Heat, 5:08, 3rd quarter
Jokić gets an assist, helping with another Gordon alley-oop. Miami misses a few more threes and Murray scores, that feels like a deflating sequence for the Heat.
Nuggets 70-61 Heat, 6:29, 3rd quarter
Love banks one in, Jokić hits a three. This is not a winning formula, Miami.
Nuggets 67-61 Heat, 6:49, 3rd quarter
There’s a three-pointer! Can the Heat get a stop now?
No. Jokić hits a jumper.
The Heat know the third quarter has started right?
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) June 10, 2023
Again it’s early. But it’s later than the last time I said “it’s early” and time only moves forward.
Nuggets 65-55 Heat, 7:35, 3rd quarter
The Heat are going to need to start making some three-pointers here. Recent history suggests that if they don’t start making them around a 50% clip, they don’t win. Meanwhile, the Nuggets defense seems to be forcing them to play closer to the basket.
Jokić makes a layup. And then Murray does. The Heat have to call a timeout as this looks a lot like Game 3’s third quarter. It’s a ten-point Denver lead.
Nuggets 61-55 Heat, 9:16, 3rd quarter
Porter Jr with a slam. Vincent makes his first shot on the other end. Porter Jr with a layup on the other end and this is his best game in a long time.
Nuggets 57-53 Heat, 10:33, 3rd quarter
Vincent finds Adebayo for a jumper and Miami gets its first second-half points.
Nuggets 57-51 Heat, 10:59, 3rd quarter
Both teams start cold offensively to start the third quarter. Eventually, Murray draws a foul on Kevin Love to get to the line, his two made free throws start the second-half scoring.
Start of the second half
Nuggets 55-51 Heat, 12:00, 3rd quarter
After a long stretch of time filled with mostly advertisements, we have arrived at the third quarter.
Jimmy's out early before the third working on his free throws. Went 1-for-4 from the stripe in the first half. pic.twitter.com/OWMCSWOfo0
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) June 10, 2023
Another weird quirk of a strange first half, Butler usually feasts at the line. We’ll see if that’s a mere statistical quirk or not as the game goes on. (Assuming he gets to the line, which is a fairly safe assumption given how Miami plays.)
espn should hire me to make their halftime show more entertaining
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) June 10, 2023
I 100% endorse this.
Well, @HunterFelt, you should've stayed by @nuggets' side, shouldn't ya? 🐺😉
— WolfPrincess (@MontLupus) June 10, 2023
:never doubt this she-wolf's special relationship with the fickle Lady Fortune: https://t.co/rVo1W0R970 pic.twitter.com/Z6DOBkSKR7
Plenty of time left, but yes: the Heat are not playing their game. The Nuggets aren’t either, not really, but they don’t need to be perfect to pull off a win here. The Heat do.
Jokić watch
The other good news for Denver is that Jokić has yet to fully heat up. He has 16 points, tying him with Gordon, but only two assists to go along with his five rebounds.
On Miami’s side, the streaky Max Strus has yet to give them anything: he has zero points (as does Vincent). The Heat are hitting only 33% from the three-point and that’s not their winning formula.
Halftime thoughts
Both teams should feel good heading into the second half. The Nuggets have a lead despite not playing their best offensive half while the Heat have managed to cut down their lead to a mere four points with plenty of game to go.
It all depends on who comes out better prepared to start the third, it feels like. On Wednesday, that’s when the Nuggets put in their best basketball of the series. Can Miami prevent them from pulling off a repeat?
Nuggets 55-51 Heat, end of the first half
Lowry with a floater. He already has 13 points and the veteran is keeping the Heat in this game. The Heat defend on the other end and Adebayo unleashes another dunk.
Jokić picks up an offensive foul on a shove! The Heat have a great chance here with the shot clock off. Butler misses his shot attempt, but picks up a foul.
Bad luck for Miami on what was otherwise a perfect ending to the second half for him: he misses both free throws.
Nuggets 55-47 Heat, 1:07, 2nd quarter
Instead, Game 3 hero Christian Braun goes to the line. He misses the first free throw, which the crowd loves. They are less appreciative when he makes the second.
Nuggets 54-47 Heat, 1:24, 2nd quarter
Adebayo with a leaping dunk! Now let’s see if Miami can get stops.
Nuggets 54-45 Heat, 1:36, 2nd quarter
Lowry finally is called for a foul, this will put Porter Jr on the line. He makes both free throws.
Nuggets 52-45 Heat, 1:58, 2nd quarter
Oh hey, a rare Porter Jr field goal.
Nuggets 50-45 Heat, 2:29, 2nd quarter
Lowry runs into Gordon, who gets called for a foul. He’s out there committing crimes. Well, crime pays: he makes both free throws.
Nuggets 50-43 Heat, 2:41, 2nd quarter
Jokić on the line. Of course he makes all three free throws. Is it even a question anymore? After a slow start, the Nuggets are already at 50 points.
Nuggets 48-43 Heat, 2:41, 2nd quarter
Aaron Gordon leads all scorers with 16 points? I’m going to say that if he remains the leading scorer at the end of the game, the Nuggets will be up 3-1 in the NBA finals.
Nuggets 48-43 Heat, 2:41, 2nd quarter
As tends to happen, Caldwell-Pope gets, well, called for a foul. That puts Lowry back on the line yet again, this is part of his skill set, he makes both to cut Denver’s lead.
After Max Strus gets called for a foul, with the Heat over the limit, the Nuggets take a timeout.
Nuggets 48-41 Heat, 3:11, 2nd quarter
Adebayo with a layup but now Miami just can’t get stops. Caldwell-Pope finds Gordon who continues to have the game of his life: that’s yet another dunk for him.
Nuggets 46-39 Heat, 3:57, 2nd quarter
Martin makes a dunk. Jokić with a miss… but the shot is tipped back in.
Nuggets 44-37 Heat, 4:38, 2nd quarter
Butler goes to the line making one of two. Jokić calmly hits a three for Denver.
Nuggets 41-36 Heat, 5:11, 2nd quarter
Is this the Aaron Gordon game? Denver is close to unstoppable when they have a third option scoring at will and that might be what’s happening here. He completes a three-point play by scoring and making a free throw.
Martin makes a layup for Miami. Denver can’t get separation here.
Nuggets 38-34 Heat, 5:45, 2nd quarter
Butler with a dunk. Gordon with a dunk. Yes, both teams are definitely playing with a lot more energy now.
Nuggets 36-32 Heat, 6:21, 2nd quarter
Porter Jr gets to the line. He makes one of two free throws.
Nuggets 35-32 Heat, 6:28, 2nd quarter
Lowry grifts a foul on Jokić, yeah that’s part of the Miami gameplan as well. Jokić is upset, but it’s unchallengeable. Lowry makes both free throws.
Nuggets 35-30 Heat, 6:57, 2nd quarter
Murray finds the much-maligned Michael Porter Jr for a dunk.
Nuggets 33-30 Heat, 7:31, 2nd quarter
Out of the timeout, Jokić hits a ridiculously long three.
A few minutes into the second quarter, it looks like both teams are waking up now after a sluggish start. Honestly, this is true of your liveblogger as well, the caffeine is finally reaching my system. You have been warned.
Nuggets 30-30 Heat, 7:50, 2nd quarter
Gordon gets called for traveling, which gives a crucial possession for Miami. Robinson finds Butler for a layup, give him an assist for that.
And Denver will call its first timeout of the game.
Nuggets 30-28 Heat, 8:12, 2nd quarter
Brown makes a basket. For the Heat, Duncan Robinson hits a three.
Nuggets 28-25 Heat, 9:09, 2nd quarter
We get a pause for some floor mopping action here before the game resumes. With the floor properly dry, Adebayo scores to briefly tie the game before Gordon hits yet another three.
Nuggets 25-23 Heat, 9:45, 2nd quarter
Jokić is back on the Denver bench, good news for them (and basketball fans in general). Gordon his another basket, going back-to-back.
Nuggets 23-23 Heat, 10:37, 2nd quarter
Gordon with a three-pointer. It’s a tied game again.
Nuggets 20-23 Heat, 11:33, 2nd quarter
The Nuggets began the game lethargic offensively and the Heat eventually figured out a way to take advantage of it. Story of what Miami has been doing all season long.
Uh oh, Jokić back to the locker room for the Nuggets, that could be huge. Lowry hits another shot to extend the Heat lead. They have to take advantage of this time when Denver is missing its MVP.
Nuggets 20-21 Heat, end of the 1st quarter
Jokić gets to the line, makes two free throws. However, at the buzzer, Butler hits a wild three-pointer! The Heat have a lead? The Heat have a lead!
The Nuggets looked like the best team on the floor until the final few minutes of the quarter, but somehow, a la “Rise of Skywalker,” Miami returned.
Nuggets 18-18 Heat, 41.1, 1st quarter
The Heat get a few stops, which is vital for their offense. Butler hits a jumper, Kyle Lowry hits a three-pointer and in a blink of an eye, it’s a tied game.
This is the Heat team that gave their opponents fits in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Nuggets 18-13 Heat, 1:31, 1st quarter
Butler with a jumper out of the timeout, Miami definitely needed that.
Nuggets 18-11 Heat, 2:06, 1st quarter
Bruce Brown finds the right place to hit a three-pointer and the Nuggets take their biggest lead in this low-scoring first quarter.
Miami takes their second timeout, they are being plagued by turnovers and poor offensive possessions.
Nuggets 15-11 Heat, 2:40, 1st quarter
Caleb Martin hits a two-pointer, not his usual three. On the other end, Jokić muscles his way to the basket and hits a floater.
Nuggets 13-9 Heat, 4:16, 1st quarter
Caldwell-Pope gets a steal and then gets fouled on the ensuing possession, putting him on the line. He makes one of two free throws.
Nuggets 12-9 Heat, 4:47, 1st quarter
Something to watch, it looks like Jokić landed on his foot and is playing with a slight limp.
Murray hits a step-back three. Nothing Miami’s defense could do about that. Butler hits his first field goal on the other end.
Nuggets 9-7 Heat, 6:30, 1st quarter
Murray scores immediately out of the timeout. The hand looks fine.
Nuggets 7-7 Heat, 6:55, 1st quarter
Time for a Heat counter-punch. Kevin Love hits a three-pointer. Jimmy Butler finds Adebayo by the basket for an easy shot. Tie game.
Jimmy Butler gets called for a foul and Miami takes a timeout.
Nuggets 7-2 Heat, 8:41, 1st quarter
Aaron Gordon gets to the line and makes one of two free throws. An early foul on Miami’s Gabe Vincent.
Nuggets 6-2 Heat, 8:59, 1st quarter
Kevin Love is called for a three-second violation, giving the Nuggets a technical free throw. Jamal Murray knocks it down.
Then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hits the game’s first three-pointer.
Nuggets 2-2 Heat, 9:14, 1st quarter
Both of these teams are looking a little tired out of the gate.
Salute from The Two Jokers' Land 🇷🇸, @HunterFelt!
— WolfPrincess (@MontLupus) June 10, 2023
Having predicted Game 3 outcome, we were both right, but let's make this one more interesting, shall we? You say that #HeatCulture will prevail & I say no way. Those @nuggets' warriors have had their paws on @MiamiHEAT' throat. https://t.co/egscsxOQUQ pic.twitter.com/dH6Yo4hpLW
This feels like the more likely outcome, but I’m feeling lucky.
Nuggets 2-2 Heat, 11:07, 1st quarter
Nikola Jokić, to nobody’s surprise, scores first for Denver.
Nuggets 0-2 Heat, 11:07, 1st quarter
Bam Adebayo scores first for Miami after two scoreless possessions.
Opening tip
Nuggets 0-0 Heat, 12:00, 1st quarter
What did I tell you about when this game would start? In any case, we finally have live basketball!
Updated
National anthem
Laurana Strachan is singing today’s anthem. I’ve never heard of her before, but maybe the best anthem of the 2023 NBA finals so far. Crystal clear vocals, strong projection, very few “American Idol”-esque vocal fripperies. Reminded me of the late Tina Turner at times. 8/10.
Injury update
Maybe a break for the Heat, Jamal Murray will be playing with an injury on his non-shooting hand, suffering a nasty case of floor burn. We’ll see if this affects him at all.
Look at this fit! Nikola Jokić has absolutely no swag. No great basketball player has had less swag than him since the days of George Mikan. It’s kind of the most lovable thing about him.
Nikola Jokic continues his HISTORIC run 👀#PhantomCam
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2023
His Game 3 performance was one for the record books... 32 PTS, 21 REB, 10 AST 🔥
BOS/MIA Game 4: 8:30 PM ET on ABC pic.twitter.com/Hk2v56CohK
Oh no, the commentators on ABC are agreeing with me about the Miami Heat pulling off a Game 4 upset. I am suddenly questioning my prediction.
Predictions
Well, I predicted that this series would go six games somehow, with the Heat winning a game that nobody had them winning. Well, I’m saying this is the game right here. The Heat feed off the home crowd's energy to tie up the finals 2-2, although it feels like it will require overtime to get it done.
Could I be wrong? Well, I’ve predicted the winners correctly in the last three liveblogs but it could just be me getting a little too self-confident about my psychic abilities. Whether the case, you can send in your predictions here either via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or via Twitter (to @HunterFelt) and we’ll post them here.
Miami Heat starting lineup
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Max Strus
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Kevin Love
C: Bam Adebayo
No changes on either side it looks like unless I’m getting fed false information. Tyler Herro is still on the mend so it’s looking like Monday’s Game 5 would be the earliest possible time he could return for Miami. The Heat are hoping that won’t be an elimination game.
On the ABC pregame show, the commentators are comparing this Nuggets team to the Tim Duncan/Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors. It’s understandable after Game 3’s masterclass but let’s remember that this is the Nuggets’ first appearance in the NBA finals in franchise history. Let’s calm down before comparing them to historically great teams.
Denver Nuggets starting lineup
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokić
Head coach Michael Malone gave Michael Porter Jr a vote of confidence before today’s game despite the fact that he has been struggling mightily all season long. Obviously, he didn’t really hurt the results back on Wednesday.
Nikola Jokić
For pregame reading, I strongly recommend reading Aaron Timms on the greatness of Nikola Jokić. This might be the best piece of basketball writing I’ve read this year, although I’m clearly biased.
Preamble
Welcome to Game 4 of the NBA finals which will most likely determine what kind of series this will be. After their Game 3 demolition of the Miami Heat, momentum is now firmly on the side of the Denver Nuggets. More importantly, they just look like what they are on paper: the clearly superior team. Now, the Heat are in a 2-1 hole and, should they lose today, they will be a game away from elimination.
What’s scary for the Heat is that they hadn’t really seen the Nuggets at full capacity in this series until the second half of Wednesday’s Game 3. When it all came together for Denver, the results were beautiful on one end and ugly on the other. Nikola Jokić put together a stat line that had never been seen before, Jamal Murray led all scorers and Christian Braun had 15 points off the bench. It was all over by the end of the third quarter.
So now it will be on Miami to find a way to disrupt them as they did in Devner’s own building in Game 2. Playing at home will help, as would a huge scoring effort by both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The Heat have already beaten the Nuggets at home, something no other team has done. They will believe in themselves even if nobody else does.
If they can win today at home, this is a 2-2 series and there’s a path to victory for them. They will be in a much better position than some of us predicted they would be at this point of the series.
So, everything is on the line today, making this the most important game of the NBA season to this point. We’d love it if you sent us your questions and comments throughout today’s game to use throughout this liveblog. You can send them via email to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt.
It’s Game 4 of the NBA finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center, Opening Tip is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm EST—although experience tells me it will probably be closer to 7:40—but we’ll be back before then with predictions, starting lineups and other updates.
Updated
How to watch the NBA finals
Every game of the NBA finals will air in the US on broadcast TV (ABC), live stream (ESPN3) and on NBA League Pass.
UK viewers can watch on Sky Sports or NBA League Pass. Australian viewers can stream on Kayo Sports via ESPN and additionally through NBA League Pass.
Best-of-seven series. All times EDT.
• Thu 1 Jun Game 1: Nuggets 104, Heat 93
• Sun 4 Jun Game 2: Heat 111, Nuggets 108
• Wed 7 Jun Game 3: Nuggets 109, Heat 94
• Fri 9 Jun Game 4: Nuggets 108, Heat 95
• Mon 12 Jun Game 5: Heat at Nuggets, 8.30pm (ABC)
• Thu 15 Jun Game 6: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC) *
• Sun 18 Jun Game 7: Heat at Nuggets, 8pm (ABC) *
* if necessary
Updated
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Andrew Lawrence’s column on the birthday boy Udonis Haslem, the longtime Miami Heat captain who turned 43 today and remains one of the team’s most essential leaders.
