Los Angeles, 13 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - After 47 years, the wait is over. The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions.

Getting another monster performance from Nikola Jokic and some clutch plays down the stretch, the Nuggets rallied for a 94-89 win over the Miami Heat in Monday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals to end the franchise's long championship drought.

It's the Nuggets' first title of any kind since the franchise's inception as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as part of the American Basketball Association. They joined the NBA in 1976 as one of four teams absorbed by the league following the ABA's disbandment.

Jokic capped a sensational postseason by sparking Denver's comeback from a 10-point second-quarter deficit in Game 5 and was named NBA Finals MVP.

The Serbian star finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting along with 16 rebounds to become the first player in league history with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and a shooting percentage at or above 75 percent in a championship-clinching victory.

Jokic, who averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists for the playoffs, also became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in total points, rebounds and assists in a single postseason. 

The Nuggets had a quite a run of their own during a postseason in which they went 16-4 overall and 10-1 at home, with the lone loss coming to the Heat in Game 2. They're now the third team in the NBA's current playoff format, instituted in 2003, to win 16 games in a postseason while losing four or less, joining the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (16-1) and 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs (16-4).

Miami, the second No. 8 seed out of a conference to reach the NBA Finals, made the Nuggets work for the last of those wins, however.

Denver was seemingly in control after putting together a 6-0 run to go up 83-76 with four and a half minutes left, but Jimmy Butler scored all of Miami's points during a 13-5 spurt that gave the Eastern Conference champs an 89-88 edge with less than two minutes to play.

The Nuggets' Jamal Murray then misfired on the ensuing possession, but teammate Bruce Brown corraled the rebound and scored on a putback to send Denver back in front with 1:31 remaining.

After both teams came up empty on their next trips down the court, Denver's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stole an errant pass from Butler and was fouled with 24.7 seconds left before sinking both free throws to extend the lead to 92-89.

Butler then missed a 3 on the other end, with Brown grabbing the rebound and making two more free throws to seal the win with 14.3 seconds remaining.

Butler ended with 21 points for Miami, which held a 51-44 halftime lead but struggled to score in the third quarter as the Nuggets slowly climbed back into the game. Bam Adebayo compiled 20 points and 12 rebounds but managed just two points in the second half.

The Heat had activated sharp-shooting guard Tyler Herro for the game for potentially his first appearance since breaking his right hand in the team's April 16 playoff opener. However, the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year did not play.