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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Entertainment
Jelani Scott

Nuggets, Nikola Jokic Praised By Sports World, Fans After Clinching First NBA Title

Nikola Jokic Nuggets NBA Denver (Organization) Barack Obama Dick Vitale Jamal Murray Earvin “Magic” Johnson Mike Malone Nikola Jokić

The Nuggets became one of the top topics on social media on Monday night after closing out the Heat to win the 2023 NBA Finals, 4–1.

Denver’s 94–89 Game 5 victory over Miami gave the franchise its first championship in its 47-year existence, ending the NBA’s longest running title drought in the team’s first-ever trip to the Finals. The win also capped a dominant 16-4 postseason run.

The narrow win featured more heroics from Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, as the Nuggets star duo once again paced their team to victory. Jokic, who stamped his record-breaking postseason with the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award, finished with a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds while Murray added 14 points, eight boards and eight assists. Denver also leaned on its defense to erase a seven-point halftime deficit, holding Miami to just 38 points in the second half and forcing Heat star Jimmy Butler into a subpar 5-for-18 shooting night from the field.

Buy now: Sports Illustrated's Denver Nuggets Commemorative Issue!

As the city of Denver celebrated the Nuggets’s historic title win, many famous fans and supporters from around the world weighed on the franchise’s big night. Check below for some of the best reactions:

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