Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets Game 1 Betting Pick & Prediction

The NBA Finals are finally here and it will be the Miami Heat visiting the Denver Nuggets in game one Thursday night. Denver has been resting for quite some time while the Heat just wrapped up a seven games series Monday night. Below is my NBA pick for the Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets.

Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets Betting Pick

The Pick: Denver Nuggets -8.5

This game will be played at Ball Arena at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Why Bet the Denver Nuggets:

✅ Denver has been good these playoffs having covered the spread in four of their last six games played.

✅  Against Miami, the Nuggets have covered the spread in six consecutive meetings.

✅ The Heat have lost six consecutive games against Denver.

Miami Heat Are Mentally Tough

Miami looked like they were going to sweep the Boston Celtics and get plenty of rest for the NBA Finals. However, the Heat were on the verge of being the first NBA team to blow a 0-3 lead when they headed to Boston Monday night. The Heat came out on fire, and Jayson Tatum was hurt on the first play of the game, in game seven and it was as easy of a game seven win as Miami fans would have hoped. Jimmy Butler won Eastern Conference Finals MVP, though Caleb Martin also had a shout.

Butler has led Miami all postseason long as he has a team high 28.5 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Bam Adebayo is grabbing 9.2 rebounds to lead the team after 18 games played.

The Denver Nuggets Are Huge Favorites

Denver played the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and finished them off in just four games. I was three single-digit battles that saw the Nuggets play better in the clutch and earn them eight days of rest. Nikola Jokic won the Western Conference Finals MVP. It has been an impressive postseason for Denver and they enter the NBA Finals as big favorites.

Jokic has been doing it all for Denver as he leads the team with 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game this postseason. Jamal Murray is stealing the ball a team high 1.7 times though 15 postseason games.