NBA Finals Game 3: Heat vs. Nuggets Preview, Odds, Lines, Prediction, Picks

The Denver Nuggets have gained momentum following their win over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. However, the Heat has its calculation, and the win in Game 2 would give them the home-court edge ahead of two meetings at the Miami-Dade Arena. Erik Spoelstra is one of the best head coaches in the previous decade, and he knows how to turn the situation upside down. That’s why Jokic and the boys can’t relax or slow down. Game 2 is set for this Sunday at 8 pm ET at the Ball Center in Colorado.

• Heat Odds +320
• Nuggets Odds -420
• Spread Nuggets -8.5
• Over/Under 214.5

Preview

Miami Heat (+320) had just two free throws for 48 minutes of play in Game 1, and that tells us that they haven’t been that aggressive in attacking the rim. That’s Jimmy Butler‘s job, but the strong forward scored only 13 points, with seven boards and assists. Without his points, the Heat was doomed in this one. 

Bam Adebayo was by far the best player, with 26 points and 13 buckets in 40 minutes. He was trying to overload Jokic on the defensive side, but that didn’t work out quite well because the Joker kept on pounding on the other end. Gabe Vincent scored five threes and had 19 points, while Haywood Highsmith had 18 off the bench.

The Heat defense didn’t know how to handle Jokic’s playmaking. They stopped Aaron Gordon’s early push, but after that, they couldn’t slow down Jokic and Murray, who woke up.

Denver Nuggets (-420) showed a superb offensive display, despite scoring just 104 points. What was impressive was that the Nuggets had an answer to any switch on the defensive side. Early on, they began to score through Aaron Gordon, but as time went by, we’ve seen them mixing the solutions.

Jokic had a triple-double in his first NBA Finals appearance, 27 points, 14 dimes, and 10 rebounds. That was his 9th in these playoffs. The Joker’s playmaking was ripping apart the Heat, who don’t have the tools to stop him when he takes the ball on the perimeter. 

Jamal Murray was lethal in the moments when the team needed him. The Canadian guard scored 26 points with ten assists and was rational in most of the cases. Special credits go to Michael Porter Jr., who had 14 points and 13 boards. We’ve already mentioned that MPJ does all the dirty work in Denver and that, at the moment, he might be their most significant defender.

Head to Head Games

The Nuggets won Game 1 104-93 and prior won both events during the regular part of the season. The first meeting was in Denver, 124-119, and the second in Miami, 112-108. 

Prediction

The Nuggets at home is a must-pick because of their performances at the Ball Arena. They still didn’t lose a single event in the playoffs in front of their crowd. Also, the way Jokic plays, Miami’s chances of making an upset are very slim, so we have to go with the hosts to win. The odds are not high, but on the other side, they are more than safe.

Pick: Denver Nuggets win +420