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The Denver Nuggets made quick work of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and have been patiently waiting to see who their opponent will be. Based on the seeding and regular season performance of both teams, they’ll be the favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals.
Denver Nuggets Will be Favored Over Miami Heat For NBA Finals
🗣️Take us there, 22. Lead us!
Congrats on winning the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Jimmy! pic.twitter.com/kvYlG9ULln
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 30, 2023
It took a while for the Miami Heat to get there. They pulled off one of the most unlikely upsets in league history by defeating the title favored Bucks in the first round, and found themselves up 3-0 on the Celtics in the Eastern Finals. But Boston put together an unlikely comeback, pushing the series to seven games before coming up well short in the final contest.
The underdog story will continue for the Heat, but they won’t be the vast underdogs that their seeding would suggest. Miami will enter the series with a designation of +280, meaning the oddsmakers give them roughly a 26% chance of winning the title.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, will be the favorites for their first ever NBA Finals action. They have the player who many believe is the rightful MVP winner, and Nikola Jokić has been proving why this postseason. He is averaging a triple double, an unheard of feat for a center during such a crucial stretch of the season.
| NBA Finals | Odds | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | -350 |  |
| Miami Heat | +280 | |
Jokic’s dominance will be a big reason for the Nuggets having the upper hand. The line for Denver has opened at -350, giving them little value against a team with as much fight and determination as the Heat.
They only played each other twice, but the regular season matchups between Denver and Miami would suggest that the odds are correct. The Denver Nuggets were victorious in both, but by a total margin of just nine points.
Game 1 will take place on Thursday, and Denver will be the host of the first two contests. Home court is one of their advantages in the series, and the oddsmakers like their chances to take the first one. The opening line for the opening game has the Nuggets as 8.5 point favorites, something that the Heat are no stranger to. They were 8+ point favorites for Games 1, 2, and 7 of the Conference Finals, and were able to win outright in each of those contests.
Tip off will be at 8:30PM Eastern and the game will be shown on ABC.
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