NBA Finals

Multiple US reports say Irish mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at an NBA Finals in Miami last week.

ESPN and TMZ Sports cite letters from the woman's lawyer which said McGregor "violently" assaulted her in a bathroom at the Kaseya Center during the Miami Heat's game four defeat to Denver on Friday.

The 34-year-old UFC star is alleged to have "aggressively kissed" his accuser before attempting to force her into multiple sex acts. — AFP

The Denver Nuggets captured their first title in 47 NBA seasons on Monday, defeating the Miami Heat 94-89 behind 28 points and 16 rebounds from Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets won the best-of-seven NBA Finals 4-1 to bring the Mile High City an NBA crown as a sellout crowd roared in delight while delivering Miami's third finals loss in 10 seasons.

"I've got news for everybody out there. We're not satisfied with one," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said afterwards. "We want more."

The championship filled the final gap in the impressive resume of Serbian star Jokic, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and five-time All-Star center in his eighth NBA campaign. — AFP

Nuggets take 3-1 lead in NBA Finals with 108-95 win over Heat.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone blasted his team's attitude after their 111-108 loss to the Miami Heat in game two of the NBA Finals on Sunday.

Malone was furious with his team after their first loss on home court during the post-season saying he was "perplexed" by their approach.

"Let's talk about effort. This is NBA Finals, we are talking about effort; that's a huge concern of mine," said Malone, who was yelling at his team in the first time-out of the game, after a slow start.

Denver won the opening game but now head to Miami with the series tied at 1-1 and Malone said they were fortunate to be on level terms.

"You guys probably thought I was just making up some storyline after game one when I said we didn't play well. We didn't play well," he said. — AFP

Miami star Jimmy Butler calls on his team-mates to match Denver's physicality after the Nuggets overpowered the Heat to win game one of the NBA Finals.

A Denver side inspired by the towering figure of Nikola Jokic proved too strong for Miami, leading almost from start to finish at the Ball Arena to clinch a 104-93 victory.

Jokic later said Denver had been determined to land the "first punch" of the series, and Butler admitted Miami would need to up their physicality over the rest of the series. — AFP

The Denver Nuggets, fueled by a triple double from Nikola Jokic, dominated the Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 victory in game one of the NBA Finals.

Two-time Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and 14 assists to lead the Nuggets, who are in the championship series for the first time in franchise history.

They host game two of the best-of-seven series on Sunday. — AFP

Jimmy Butler says there was no lingering bad blood between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets as the two teams prepare to face off in the NBA Finals.

Miami and Denver met in a fiery regular season clash in the 2021-2022 season, when Nuggets star Nikola Jokic poleaxed then Miami player Markieff Morris from behind.

That sparked a melee involving players from both sides. A furious Butler challenged Denver's players to settle their differences in the tunnel after the game. — AFP

The Milwaukee Bucks ended a 50-year NBA championship drought after finishing off the Phoenix Suns, 105-98, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The Los Angeles dispatched the Miami Heat in Game Six, 106-93, to win their first NBA title in 10 years.