It’s that time of the year again. After six months of top-quality basketball, only two teams remain. The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. Each team has taken a very different route to the NBA Finals, but can the Heat continue their underdog status momentum and trip up Denver at the last hurdle?
The Nuggets have been dominant throughout the season, topping the Western Conference and only dropping three games across the postseason so far. Miami, on the other hand, barely scraped into the postseason, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference. Since then, they’ve turned up the heat however, knocking out the top-seeded Bucks, fifth place Knicks, and then winning in game seven against the Celtics.
We break down all the best bets to make on basketball over the coming weeks with the latest odds from bookmaker William Hill.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 31st, 4:30 A.M. (GMT)
For context, the outright winner odds at William Hill do not paint a very even picture ahead of the 2023 NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets are paying 1.25 to win, while the Miami Heat are at a long 4.00 to pull off yet another upset.
In terms of odds on the series score, a Denver 4-1 outcome is the most likely. This result pays 3.50, while Denver 4-2 and 4-3 pays 5.00. Whitewashes either way are 6.50 in favour of the Nuggets, and 23.00 for Miami. If the Heat do manage to win, bookies are picking it to be either 4-3 or 4-2, with both of these outcomes paying 8.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 31st, 4:30 A.M. (GMT)
While the fairy tale story of the No. 8 seed charging all the way to the NBA Finals title is certainly alluring, there’s a reason why it’s never been done before in history. Simply put, teams can only maintain the underdog status for so long—soon enough, they get found out or run out of steam. We say both will happen when Miami comes up against the Nuggets and their winning run will come to an end here.
In terms of bets, we suggest taking this one 4-2. While the Denver Nuggets are firing and looking like a well-oiled winning machine, there’s no escaping the fact that this is their first ever NBA Finals series. Nerves and pressure are sure to play a part and will likely result in them dropping two games. Specifically, we say Miami will win the opening game and then claw one more back when Denver is going for the title at 3-1.
