The Nuggets are massive favorites to beat the Heat and win an NBA title
May 30, 2023, 11:45 AM
Should we start planning the parade?
If you’re buying what the oddsmakers say, the answer is yes.
The Denver Nuggets are massive favorites to beat the Miami Heat and win their first NBA title, at least according to the wise guys in Las Vegas. Denver checks in at -425 to take the series, so says one popular local website. The Heat are +325 to pull off the upset.
That means you’d have to wager $425 on the Nuggets to win just a $100, while a $100 bet on Miami would pay out $325. It’s a big, big difference for an NBA Finals series.
Denver is 8-0 at home in these playoffs and will have homecourt advantage, so that obviously is a huge factor in where the odds are set. The Heat also just played a grueling seven-game series against the Celtics, while the Nuggets have been resting comfortably since sweeping the Lakers more than a week ago.
Superstar Nikola Jokic is also the frontrunner to win NBA Finals MVP, checking in at -320. Miami’s Jimmy Butler is +330, while stud point guard Jamal Murray is +1200. Jokic won Western Conference Finals MVP after averaging a triple-double, so it’s hard not to think he’ll be the finals MVP, should Denver win the series.
The whole deal gets started on Thursday night at Ball Arena, with Game 2 slated for Sunday. Things will then shift to Miami on June 7 and June 9, before coming back to Denver for Game 5 on June 12. That is, if a Game 5 is even necessary.
The Nuggets are 12-3 in these playoffs. The only three defeats came in Minnesota in OT and two games in Phoenix where Devin Booker played out of his mind.
The oddsmakers are certainly buying in. There’s a chance, a real chance, we’re all gathered in downtown Denver for a parade in just a few weeks.
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