Miami Heat (44-38) at Denver Nuggets (53-29)
Game Info: Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 8:30 p.m. EST (Ball Arena)
Betting Odds: Nuggets (-9) / Over/Under (218.5)
Pick: Heat (+9)
The day has finally come upon us! Tonight we will head to the Mile High City to dive into the first game of the series in the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets.
Miami comes into this series as one of the biggest underdogs in NBA history in the Finals. I am not sure that the Heat will care too much about that though as they have now taken down the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics in three consecutive series' where they were all underdogs in. Heading into this series, they will know that if they are to complete one of the best runs of all time in the Playoffs in the NBA, they will have to find a solution for the Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic pick and roll. Murray and Jokic have killed every single team that they have faced in the Playoffs with their lethal connection and Miami will need to be on top of it from the first tip if they want to keep things within reach. Nevertheless, if there is a team that might have the chance to stifle them a bit, it certainly is the Miami Heat. They have one of the best coaching staffs in the league and have the right pieces to execute their plans to the best of their ability. Can they make a statement in Game 1?
As always, get our VIP Pick Free Tonight by Clicking Here!
In their last series' matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets were only able to outscore them by 24 points across the four games that they won, so it surely was not a blowout by any means. Despite that, they have an uncanny ability to make the right plays game after game in crunch time when it matters most. When their are only a few minutes left, every opponent knows what is coming, but the problem is that they usually have no answers to stop it. As I previously mentioned, the deadly duo of Murray and Jokic play so well together that it seems as though they are on the same wavelength as each other. Moving on, looking at the rest that they have gotten since sweeping the Lakers, it is a shocking nine whole days. Although everyone always thinks that getting more rest towards the end of the year is essential and can only be seen as a benefit, time will tell if the Nuggets have to knock off any rust in Game 1 after having such a long layoff.
Betting trends to consider in this matchup:
- Miami is 13-5 ATS in Playoff games
- The Heat are 22-16 ATS as an underdog
- The under is 27-21-1 when the Nuggets are playing at home
As Game 1 dawns upon us, all the media has been talking about is the elevation that the Heat will have to get used to for this series as they will be playing in conditions that they aren't used to playing in. Nonetheless, as I have noted in past games when Miami has been up against Boston, nine points is a boat load of points to have to cover in an NBA Finals game where everything is on the line. Give me the Heat to keep this number within range all night long!
Our VIP picks are hitting over 71% this season! Buy a Month package for just $400 if you don't profit get a season deal free! ($3,000 value)