The Denver Nuggets (3-1) will try to solidify their first NBA Championship Monday night as they take on the Miami Heat (1-3). The Nuggets will host this one at Ball Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
The Nuggets are heavy favorites in this one playing at home. They are -375 to win, while the Heat’s moneyline sits at +300. The spread features Miami +9 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 208.5 (-110).
Heat Hope To Defy Odds Again
Throughout this entire playoffs, whether it be against the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics, the Heat have been the underdog. They will hope to prevail again as the long shot Monday while also trying to keep their title hopes alive.
In their 108-95 loss on Friday, Jimmy Butler led the team with 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. This postseason, he has averaged 27.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Bam Adebayo also had a great day with a double-double, scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. He is averaging 17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
As a team, the Heat ranked dead last in scoring this season, averaging 109.3 points per game. On the defensive side, though, they were elite. They ranked second overall, allowing opponents an average of 109.2 points per game.
Nuggets Look To Home Court Advantage To Secure Title
Denver Nuggets’ fans are salivating as they are on the brink of an NBA Championship. Even more appealing is the fact that they have the chance to do it at home, where they were a remarkable 34-7 during the regular season.
The Nuggets have been led all postseason by the one-two punch of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Jokic is averaging almost a triple-double with 30.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists. He is currently the favorite to win Finals MVP at -6000.
Murray has the third-best odds of winning the MVP at +4800. This postseason, he is averaging 26.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Throughout the regular season, the Nuggets ranked fifth in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 111.2 points per game (108.3 at home). On the offensive side, they ranked 11th in scoring, averaging 115.5 points per game (118.2 at home).
Take Miami To Cover
Looking at the trends, the Heat are 13-7 against the spread in their last 20 games, but they are just 2-6 in their last eight games straight up. In their last 10 games against the Nuggets, they are 1-9 both straight up and against the spread.
For Denver, they are 9-1 in their last 10 games and 5-1 against the spread in their last six. In their last 12 home games, they are a remarkable 11-1.
As impressive as Jimmy Butler and the Heat have been this entire postseason, it just seems like it is Denver’s time to shine. Still, don’t expect Miami to go off quietly into the sunset. For that reason, expect Denver to win, but take Miami at +9 (-110) on the spread.
