2023 NBA Finals: Betting odds, best bets and schedule

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The 2023 NBA Finals is set and there are plenty of storylines for both the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat.

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The Nuggets are heavy favourites to win as they prepare to make an appearance in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history ahead of Game 1 on June 1.

After surviving the play-in tournament and shocking the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, Miami is just the second No. 8 seed to ever reach the NBA Finals as they look for their first title since 2013.

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Here’s everything you need to know about betting on the 2023 NBA Finals.

2023 NBA Finals schedule

Game 1, June 1: Miami at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET

Game 2, June 4: Miami at Denver, 8:00 p.m. ET

Game 3, June 7: Denver at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET

Game 4, June 9: Denver at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET

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Game 5, June 12: Miami at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET *if necessary

Game 6, June 15: Denver at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET *if necessary

Game 7, June 18: Miami at Denver, 8:00 p.m. ET *if necessary

Complete betting odds for all NBA Finals games can be found at Sports Interaction.

Nuggets vs. Heat head-to-head

Season series: Denver won 2-0

Both meetings between these teams in the regular season were competitive, despite Denver coming out on top each time.

The Nuggets took the first meeting 124-119 at home on Dec. 30. Denver’s Nikola Jokic finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 84th career triple-double, while Jamal Murray sealed the victory with seven straight points in the final minutes of the game.

The second game in Miami ended in a 112-108 Nuggets victory on Feb. 13. Jokic scored a game-high 27 points on 12-for-14 shooting. Both teams were shorthanded as Denver played without Murray (knee) and Aaron Gordon (foot), while the Heat were missing Tyler Herro (knee), Kyle Lowry (knee) and Victor Oladipo (ankle).

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Looking past just this season, it has been all Nuggets in head-to-head action, with Denver winning and covering the spread in six straight games against Miami.

Denver Nuggets

First round: Won in five games against Minnesota

Second round: Won in six games against Phoenix

Western Conference Finals: Won in four games against Lakers

The top-seeded Denver Nuggets are in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Jokic and Murray have formed one of the best duos in the NBA and have taken Denver on a dominant run through the playoffs.

The Nuggets have rolled through the postseason, capping off the first three rounds with a four-game sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Nikola Jokic

Jokic will be the best player for Denver in this series. He’s averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game in the playoffs and has looked nearly unstoppable for the Nuggets. He has an elite midrange jumper, solid three-point range and he bullies smaller players inside.

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Jokic averaged a 23-point triple-double against the Heat during the regular season and his 6-11, 284-pound frame will be a nightmare to defend for a smaller Miami team.

Jokic was primarily guarded by Bam Adebayo this season. Adebayo is two inches shorter and about 30 pounds lighter and struggled to defend the former two-time MVP. Jokic shot 60 per cent against Adebayo this past season and 67 per cent the season before.

Nuggets X-factor: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

It’s no secret the Heat have relied on their 2-3 zone defence at times throughout the playoffs. One way of shutting that down is shooting over top of it. Cue Caldwell-Pope for that assignment.

Caldwell-Pope has excelled at that role throughout the year, hitting a career-high 42.3 per cent of his three-point attempts, including nailing 6-of-7 against Miami. He is also one of the better defenders in the series and will likely be tasked with shutting down Butler.

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And let’s not forget Caldwell-Pope’s championship pedigree after winning a title with the Lakers in 2020. Remember who that Lakers team beat in the finals? Butler and the Miami Heat.

Stats to know

The Nuggets have scored 119.7 points per 100 possessions over 15 playoff games, making them the most efficient offence through three rounds of the playoffs in the last six years. That offence has come against the 10th, seventh and 12th ranked defences during the regular season.

In the conference finals, Denver scored 15.8 more points per 100 possessions (122.3) than the Lakers allowed through the first two rounds of the playoffs (106.5).

Denver ranks third in the playoffs in effective field goal percentage (55.9 per cent).

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The Nuggets lead the playoffs in turnover rate, committing just 11.7 per 100 possessions.

Denver Nuggets’ best bet: Nikola Jokic most total points in series (+101)

Miami Heat

First round: Won in five games against Milwaukee

Second round: Won in six games against New York

Eastern Conference Finals: Won in seven games against Boston

Miami has done things the hard way, scratching and clawing their way into the playoffs by winning the play-in tournament. Jimmy Butler has led the way through the playoffs, showing the world why ‘Playoff Jimmy’ and the Heat can’t be overlooked.

Miami shocked the NBA by dismantling the top overall playoff seed, Milwaukee, in just five games in the first round. They kept defying the doubters in the East finals, blowing a 3-0 series lead against Boston before crushing the Celtics on the road in Game 7.

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Jimmy Butler

As important as Jokic is to Denver, no player on the court is more important to their team’s success than Butler for Miami. You don’t earn a nickname like ‘Playoff Jimmy’ without proving you are a clutch player when it matters most. Butler had an up-and-down Eastern Conference Finals, but he still managed to win series MVP and close out Boston with 28 points in Game 7.

A lot of Butler’s strength relies on his playmaking ability. He drives the Heat’s offence and is great at drawing fouls. On the other side of the court, he’s a great perimeter defender, which makes sense given he’s been named to five All-Defensive teams.

Butler averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game against Denver in the regular season. Look for him to steal a game or two by himself in this series.

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Heat X-factor: Kyle Lowry

Lowry isn’t the same player who anchored the Raptors to a championship in 2019, but he’s become a valuable member of this Miami team by embracing his new bench role. He’s not a major impact in every game, but when he shows up, his three-point shooting and energy often make the difference.

Miami will likely try to use Lowry as a screener to get Butler a more favourable matchup against the smaller Murray. The Heat were very successful employing the same strategy in the East finals to get Butler an easier matchup against Derrick White.

Lowry’s also valuable as a pest. He creates big plays by being a general nuisance to opponents and drawing charges. Bottom line, if Lowry comes to play, Miami will be dangerous.

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Stats to know

The Heat ranked sixth defensively in the playoffs, allowing 111.5 points per 100 possessions. That number is more impressive when you consider both the Knicks’ and Celtics’ offences ranked in the top five during the regular season.

Butler’s 35 steals in the playoffs are 10 more than the next closest player.

Miami Heat best bet: Miami Heat series handicap +1.5 (+125)

You can visit Sports Interaction for complete NBA game odds, props and futures bets.

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