Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 6-4-2023
Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 6-4 ... The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets will face off in the NBA Finals on Sunday night, with Game 2 tipping off at 8:00 ET. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets in scoring with 27 points, while Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 26 in the loss. There has been plenty of attention place upon the undrafted Miami players who have been playing excellent in the postseason, and some of those players came back down to Earth in Game 1 of the finals. The Heat will need more balanced production to take down Denver, as Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Caleb Martin each played over 20 minutes, but all three combined for only 6 total points.
Published : 2 years ago by in Sports
Game 2 of the NBA Finals takes place Sunday night when the Miami Heat take on the Denver Nuggets. Denver won Game 1 and took a 1-0 lead in the series when they beat Miami 104-93 on Thursday. The Nuggets were able to cover the 9-point spread in the end, as they controlled most of the game, as they were up by 24 points late in the 3rd quarter. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets in scoring with 27 points, while Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 26 in the loss. Game 2 is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 ET from the Ball Arena, and can be found on ABC.
There has been plenty of attention place upon the undrafted Miami players who have been playing excellent in the postseason. In Game 1 of the finals, some of those players came back down to Earth. Max Strus went 0-10 in the game, and 0-9 from three, he did not score a single point. Caleb Martin was almost Eastern Conference Finals MVP, but he only shot 1-7 in this game for 3 points. Even Jimmy Butler did not play like "Playoff Jimmy" as he only finished with 13 points. There has been plenty of attention place upon the undrafted Miami players who have been playing excellent in the postseason. In Game 1 of the finals, some of those players came back down to Earth. Max Strus went 0-10 in the game, and 0-9 from three, he did not score a single point. Caleb Martin was almost Eastern Conference Finals MVP, but he only shot 1-7 in this game for 3 points. Even Jimmy Butler did not play like "Playoff Jimmy" as he only finished with 13 points. The Heat broke the record for fewest free throw attempts in a playoff game, finishing with just two. Jimmy Butler addressed this after the game saying, “We've got to attack the rim a lot more, myself included." Bam got out to a hot start in Game 1 with 26 points & 13 rebounds 💥 pic.twitter.com/KjgYsMs77D — Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 2, 2023 Bam Adebayo had the strongest game for Miami, he scored 26 points on 52% shooting, and grabbed 13 rebounds. Adebayo was excellent in the midrange, taking the short pull-up jumpers and floaters as Jokic hung around the rim. Haywood Highsmith had a surprising game off the bench, scoring 18 points after only averaging 4.3 PPG in the playoffs. Gabe Vincent knocked down 5 threes on his way to 19 points for Miami. The Heat will need more balanced production to take down Denver, as Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Caleb Martin each played over 20 minutes, but all three combined for only 6 total points. Tyler Herro has been testing his injured hand, and it is possible that he plays in Game 2. Victor Oladipo will continue to miss the Finals. Miami only ranked 25th in offensive efficiency this season according to dunksandthrees.com, and those struggles resurfaced in Game 1. Miami has gone 6-5 on the road in the playoffs this season.
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If it was ever possible to have a quiet triple-double in the NBA Finals, Nikola Jokic just did exactly that. Jokic had only taken three shot attempts by halftime, but already had a double-double at that point. Jokic only took 12 shots from the floor the whole game (making 8), as five other players took more shots from the field, but Jokic was still the leading scorer. The Joker finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, joining Jason Kidd as the only players to record a triple-double in their NBA Finals debut. If it was ever possible to have a quiet triple-double in the NBA Finals, Nikola Jokic just did exactly that. Jokic had only taken three shot attempts by halftime, but already had a double-double at that point. Jokic only took 12 shots from the floor the whole game (making 8), as five other players took more shots from the field, but Jokic was still the leading scorer. The Joker finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, joining Jason Kidd as the only players to record a triple-double in their NBA Finals debut. Jokic always downplays the importance of his individual stats, after the game he said, “The most important thing is to win a game. I’m trying to win a game in any possible way.” Jokic gets the headlines, but Jamal Murray was also excellent in this game. Murray had 26 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds in the game, and has been playing this way all postseason. Murray played 44 minutes and was an efficient 50% (11 for 22) from the field. Aaron Gordon punished Miami inside early, whenever Miami would switch his screen and rolls, Gordon would bury himself inside and finish strong on his way to 16 points. Michael Porter Jr. had a strong contribution with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Denver did not go deep in their roster, 8 total players played, and Bruce Brown was the only bench player to log more than 12 minutes. Denver has no injury concerns coming into Game 2. The Nuggets ranked 5th in offensive efficiency and 18th in defensive efficiency in the regular season. The Nuggets have gone 9-0 at home in the playoffs so far.
This is a similar line to Game 1, and the game will play out in a similar way. Denver won by 11 in Game 1, but that does not paint the picture of how dominant Denver was in that game. The Nuggets led by as many as 24, and it took a couple Kyle Lowry and Haywood Highsmith threes in the 4th to close the gap to 11. The Nuggets are excellent at home, they have not lost a home game in the playoffs. The overall size of the Nuggets is a problem for Miami, they are bigger at every position. Miami's role players are undrafted steals found by Pat Riley, Denver's role players are former lottery picks and #1 rated high school players. If Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are considered role players, you know you have a strong team. Watch for the Nuggets to control this game again, and cover this spread. Take the Nuggets to win and cover in Game 2. Want a second opinion on this pick? The total in Game 1 was 219, and the teams combined to score 197. It was an under by a mile. Vegas dropped the total down 4 points, but it won't be enough. The NBA Finals is a big stage, and some players struggle to compete or match their averages in the Finals. This was evidenced by Max Strus and Caleb Martin shrinking under the bright lights. Denver plays a slow game, their tempo ranked 21st in the league as they often wait for Jokic to make the right play in the halfcourt. Miami showed a fair amount of zone in Game 1, which also causes Denver's offense to slow down in an attempt to pick apart the zone and find openings. The 4 point adjustement was not enough for Game 2, the under will hit.
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