Next gala by the ‘Joker’?

The favourite didn’t show any weakness in the opening game of the 2023 NBA Finals. Denver defeated Miami with 104:93. What is the betting pool’s tip for the second duel? The home side will once again rely on home advantage in the upcoming game: All nine home meetings in the postseason ended with a win for the franchise from Colorado!

For its part,

Miami’s opening loss means it has now waited more than six years for its next success in the Mile High City. Moreover, the hosts are undauntedly especially motivated as it is their first appearance in the NBA Finals.

For Game 2 between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, the forecast includes a triple-double by Nikola Jokic on the part of the Malone squad.

Denver Nuggets – Statistics & current form

Head coach Michael Malone’s side claimed victory in the opener in part thanks to a strong defensive performance. They allowed only 93 points to the opponent. It was already the third home game in the 2023 NBA Playoffs in which the opponent did not record a triple-digit scoring record.

In light of this, betting on a maximum of 103 points by the visitors in the duel between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat is also recommended. The prediction is supported by Miami’s offensive, which was already capable of improvement in the previous round. Heat have not exceeded the selected limit of 103.5 points for five games!

In addition, the home side can continue to rely on Nikola Jokic. The Serbian centre delivered a triple-double in points, rebounds and assists in the first match-up. With this, he once again confirmed his consistently strong form in the ongoing NBA Playoffs 2023.

Murray is also in good form

Furthermore, Jokic continues to get plenty of support from Jamal Murray on the offensive end. The guard recorded 26 points in the first matchup of the series, just one point less than the arguably upcoming Finals MVP.

Miami Heat – Statistics & current form

The Florida franchise won the fourth quarter in the opener, but only because the game was already decided after the third quarter. At that point, the visitors were more or less hopelessly behind with 21 points. With the defeat, Miami has now lost Game 1 for the first time in the fourth series of the postseason.

However, it could also be a good omen for Miami. In the context of the three championships so far, the first game of the respective NBA Finals was also always lost! Moreover, opening losses in the Finals are nothing new for Miami. Only one of the previous six games of this kind was won by the Heat. The success came in 2011 in the finals against Dallas and then the opening victory was of little use, as the Texans with Dirk Nowitzki in their ranks prevailed in the end.

Miami must step up their game going forward

Lately, however, the offensive performance of head coach Erik Spoelstra’s troops has been very weak. This was also due to a strong defence of the opponent, but not only. Players like Caleb Martin or Max Strus were completely disappointing with their finishes. The former had only one successful shot in seven attempts and Strus did not even sink any of his ten attempts from the field!

Even the normally best player on the side of the seven-time Eastern Conference winners, Jimmy Butler, had room for improvement in scoring with 13 points. By comparison, his average in the 2023 NBA Playoffs is 28.5 points per game!

Next double-double by Adebayo?

A bright spot was at least Bam Adebayo. The centre delivered 26 points in the opener, clearly the most successful output of his team. He also recorded 13 rebounds and thus a double-double – his third in a row. With this in mind, the prediction and betting odds on another double-digit output in points and boards by Adebayo in the battle between Denver and Miami are even better.

Denver Nuggets – Miami Heat Direct Comparison / H2H Record

Thanks to their recent success, the hosts are riding a seven-game winning streak in this matchup! Moreover, the men from the Kaseya Center have not won in Denver since December 2016.

Just how long ago that success was can be seen, among other things, by the fact that at the time, current Heat leader Jimmy Butler was still playing in Chicago with the Bulls and top centre Nikola Jokic finished second in the Most Improved Players race.

Denver Nuggets – Miami Heat tip

For the duel between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, betting and odds on another triple-double by Nikola Jokic are worth considering. The centre proved in the opener that he could conserve his previously strong condition for the NBA Finals. Despite the home side’s long break from the game of more than a week, Jokic looked unwaveringly game on both ends of the court.

The prediction is further supported by the fact that the “Joker” has now delivered a double-digit output in points, rebounds and assists in six of the past seven games in the postseason! Even if Miami has one of the best coaches in the NBA at hand in Erik Spoelstra, against the elemental force of Jokic even he will find few adjustments for the second game, which is why the next gala by the Serb is in the offing!

The Denver vs. Miami prediction is underpinned by his performance against Heat during the regular season. In the total of the two games, Jokic also came up with a triple-double with an average of 23 points, a dozen rebounds and ten assists per game.