Denver have swept the Lakers with a 113-111 victory in Game 4, which sees them reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Nikola Jokic was awarded the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP after his outstanding performances night after night.
He finished Game 4 with an ever-consistent stat line of 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, while surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles in a single postseason.
Chamberlain previously held the record for 56 years.
NIKOLA JOKIĆ IS YOUR WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS MVP 🃏 pic.twitter.com/JJnK7Ejxo4
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 23, 2023
The Lakers looked to have control of the game early as LeBron went on a 21 point scoring haul in the first, but the Nuggets held strong.
The away side went on a 34-14 run to take a five-point lead into the fourth quarter, where Jokic picked up his fifth personal but still stayed in the game.
Jokic was humble as ever when presented with the MVP award and when asked what it meant to him, he said “nothing.”
“For me to be honest, nothing,” Jokic said. “His trophy is supposed to go to my teammates and coaches.
“They put me in this situation…I’m just first among the equals and I’m just happy that were collectively getting wins and getting to make something.”
Denver coach Michael Malone had nothing but praise for his big man after the game.
“He challenges himself to get better over every offseason,” Malone said.
“His IQ is off the charts…his greatest feat is to make everyone around him better…the main areas he continues to grow in are his leadership and his voice..his impact is just tremendous.
“Everybody listens to him, everybody loves him and everybody respects him.”
The Nuggets will celebrate momentarily but be onto the next soon enough, as they await their NBA Finals opponent – the Heat or the Celtics.