Denver has reached the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals for the first time since its inception.

The Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 113-111 on Wednesday in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs (best-of-seven) for the 2022-2023 season. It was the Nuggets’ fourth straight win over the Lakers and their first trip to the NBA Finals. Founded in 1967, Denver competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before moving to the NBA in 1976. The Nuggets will face the winner of the Miami-Boston game in the Eastern Conference Finals on June 2 for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the NBA Finals championship trophy. As of March 23, Miami leads the series by three games.

Denver was led by “Triple Doubler” Nikola Jokic in Game 4. Jokic scored 30 points on the night, including three 3-pointers, to go along with 14 rebounds and 13 assists for a triple-double. With his eighth triple-double performance in 15 PO games this season, Jokic set a new PO record for most triple-doubles in a single season. The previous record was seven, set by Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999) in 1967. Jokic is averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists in 15 PO games this season.

After finishing second in regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting this season, Jokic won the Magic Johnson Trophy as the Western Conference Finals MVP. Jokic lost out to Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) in the regular season MVP voting for the third straight season.

The Lakers, looking to bounce back from a three-game deficit, were led by LeBron James, who scored a game-high 40 points, but fell short of a cliffhanger. “There’s a lot to think about,” James, 39, said after the game when asked about his plans for next season 메이저놀이터.