The 2023 NBA Finals start on Thursday with the Denver Nuggets looking to defend home court against the odds-defying Miami Heat.
Will we see some rust on Denver after they finished off the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers over a week ago? Bookmaker Bovada has the odds at +165 for Miami to win the first quarter. The odds are at -110 for Denver to beat a three-point spread in the opening frame.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 31st, 6:30 P.M. (EST)
The Heat are the second-ever eighth seed to make it into the NBA Finals but the team certainly hasn’t played like one. With Jimmy Butler leading the way, Miami has been outstanding at both ends of the floor and won’t feel like an underdog in the Finals, even if the Nuggets are seen as overwhelming favorites to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Butler has upped his scoring average from 22.9 points per game to 28.5 in the playoffs and he’s posted 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists with 2.1 steals. The veteran star takes a lot of pride in his performances and his approach appears to have also rubbed off on his teammates as a number of Heat players have been playing the best basketball of their careers in the 2023 postseason.
Miami’s cohesion and willingness to sacrifice for each other now faces a huge challenge as the team won’t have any hopes of winning the fourth NBA championship in franchise history if they can’t find a way to limit Nikola Jokic’s impact in the games.
The Nuggets leader has set a new postseason record with eight triple-doubles and heads into the Finals having averaged incredible numbers. Jokic’s work in the 2023 playoffs has included 29.9 points with over 47 percent shooting from downtown, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists. He also averaged a triple-double against Miami during the regular season, notching 23.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists.
Denver won both head-to-head meetings in the regular season and the Heat haven’t won a single game against the Nuggets since the two met in the Orlando Bubble in August 2020. The 125-105 result achieved back then marks Miami’s lone victory in the previous 10 clashes with the Nuggets and it’s been five years since Erik Spoelstra’s team won in Denver. The Heat will be desperate to end the losing streak on Thursday, and their victory in Game 1 would give all hoop heads hope that this won’t be a short series.
