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Looking for the best bets for the 2023 NBA Finals? Look no further as we give you the NBA Finals 2023 odds for the Nuggets and Heat matchup. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 1 at 8:30 PM Eastern Time.
NBA Finals 2023 odds
After winning a grueling seven-game series against the Celtics, the Heat advance to the NBA Finals. However, the Nuggets opened as the favorites to win the NBA championship at all major sportsbooks.
Take a look at the NBA Finals 2023 odds from different sportsbooks at opening:
- BetMGM: Nuggets -400/ Heat +300
- FanDuel: Nuggets -420 / Heat +300
- BetRivers: Nuggets -400 / Heat +290
- bet365: Nuggets -360 / Heat +270
- 888: Nuggets -222 / Heat +250
- Betway: Nuggets -364 / Heat +275
Predictions for the 2023 NBA Finals
Nuggets (-400)
According to the NBA Finals 2023 odds, the Nuggets opened as the favorites to win the title with -400 odds against the Heat’s +300. There’s a good reason why Denver is the current favorite to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.
First, the Nuggets are the best team in the West, obtaining a record of 53-29 in the regular season. They finished the regular season with four players averaging 15 or more points per game. They are a well-balanced team and they have a lot of guys who can contribute offensively. Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Bruce Brown, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are just some of their best role players.
Second, they have an elite duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. In the Western Conference Finals, Nikola Jokic became the first player to average 25/10/10 while Jamal Murray became the first player to average 30+ points on .50/.40/.90 percentages.
And finally, the Nuggets are well-rested coming into the NBA Finals. This is good for Jokic and Murray since they have been putting the team on their backs recently.
Heat (+300)
Once again, the Heat will enter the NBA Finals as underdogs. Miami has seven undrafted players and two late first-rounders in their rotation. Only Cody Zeller and Kevin Love were picked in the lottery. Additionally, the Heat was plagued with injuries throughout the season, most notably Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo.
Miami was also not a good regular-season team. They were the lowest-scoring team who entered the playoffs. They were ranked 30th in points, 27th in rebounds, 25th in assists, 25th in offensive rating, and 21st in net rating.
Despite all of this, they continue to defy the odds and beat predictions. After winning a thrilling seven-game series against the Celtics, they became the second eight-seed team to enter the NBA Finals. The question is: Can they overcome exhaustion and win all the way?
The answer is definitely. They just beat some of the best teams in the league and it’s hard to doubt them at this point. After all, they are on fire right now, especially with their role players stepping up big-time. Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Duncan Robinson were x-factors in why the Heat won the Eastern Conference.
There’s no doubt that this is potentially one of the greatest championship runs in NBA history for the Heat. If they go all the way, their run would be comparable to the Mavericks’ 2011 championship run when Dirk Nowitzki beat Miami’s Big 3 in the NBA Finals.
Best bets for 2023 NBA Finals
2023 NBA Finals champion
The NBA Finals 2023 odds favor the Nuggets winning it all, according to all major sportsbooks. All predictions point to Denver winning the championship since they dominated the West in both the regular season and postseason.
However, there’s great value in the Heat’s +300 odds. We all know that Miami has a good chance of upsetting arguably the best team in the league through their defense. They already did it three times, and they can do it again. They just continue to defy prediction after prediction. And most importantly, would you bet against Jimmy Butler?
2023 NBA Finals MVP
Superstars usually win the Finals MVP since they carry their teams on their backs. Thus, this award has the highest chance of landing with either Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, or Jimmy Butler.
Looking at the current odds, Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win the NBA Finals MVP at -300. Second is Jimmy Butler at +380 and third is Jamal Murray at +2200.
Out of these three, Jamal Murray has great value at +2200. Murray has proven that he’s a big-time performer in the playoffs, as evident from the bubble and this year’s playoffs. Yes, Jokic can have monstrous stats all series long. But Murray will take over games here and there.
Caleb Martin (+4500) is also an underrated candidate for the NBA Finals MVP since he was great against the Celtics. He dropped 26 points and 10 rebounds in the deciding game. He also averaged 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds on 60/49/88 shooting in the Eastern Conference Finals. There’s a good value here at +4500.
Apart from the NBA Finals 2023 odds, you can also check different sportsbooks for player props. If you’re looking for creative NBA wagering for different players entering the NBA Finals, make sure to stay tuned to sportsbooks that offer player props.
2023 NBA Finals Game 1
The Nuggets opened as 8.5-point favorites to win Game 1 in Denver on Thursday. There’s a huge chance that Denver wins this. Coming off a game seven series, the Heat will enter the NBA Finals exhausted and against a Nuggets team that hasn’t lost a home game yet in the postseason. Betting for the Nuggets in Game 1 is a good pick.
Can the Heat win this game? It’s not impossible but it will be tough. They will need to overcome the Nuggets’ perimeter defense first or else they will be trailing all game long. After all, Denver is great at limiting their opponents’ threes.
It’s an interesting chess match between Mike Malone and Erik Spoelstra. Let’s see how both of these teams adjust.
