The stage has been set for the NBA Finals.
The Denver Nuggets punched their ticket long ago with a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. This is the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history.
As for the other side, the Miami Heat outlasted the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series during the Eastern Conference Finals. This the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals since the bubble, when it lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, when the Nuggets play host to the Heat in Denver. The Nuggets, who were the No. 1 seed in the West, are favored to win the opener and take care of business.
But we have counted out the Heat before. As the No. 8 seed in the East, Miami had to win its second Play-In Tournament game to even make the NBA Playoffs. Then, the Heat knocked off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, fifth-seeded New York Knicks, and second-seeded Celtics on their way to the NBA Finals.
Here is a look at WynnBET’s betting odds for the NBA Finals and how to bet the last series of the 2022-23 NBA season.
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2023 NBA Finals Game 1 Betting Odds
Spread: Denver Nuggets (-8.5) vs. Miami Heat
Moneyline: Heat +302/Nuggets -380
Total: 219
2023 NBA Finals Game 1 Best Bet: Nuggets (-8.5) vs. Heat
This team and this city has been waiting for this moment for a long time, and Denver certainly has the rest advantage. The Heat played Game 7 on Monday, while the Nuggets have not played in over a week. Let the rest vs. rust debates begin.
The Nuggets have been dominant at home this year, going 30-18-1 against the spread when playing inside Ball Arena. They have yet to lose a home playoff game, and the altitude presents a serious advantage against a team that is already fatigued.
2023 NBA Finals Prediction: Nuggets Over Heat
This should be a quick series, with Denver ending this in five or six games. If you can find value on Denver’s series spread of -1.5, that would be our favorite play for this series. If not, consider a plus-money price on the Nuggets to win in exactly five games and/or exactly six games.
The Heat have been a nice story in the postseason, but they were fading at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals. They nearly let the Celtics become the first team in history to erase an 0-3 deficit in the postseason.
Denver has been the best team in the league for quite some time. The Nuggets should demonstrate that from start to finish during the NBA Finals.
