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Nuggets open Game 3 as 2-point favorites over Heat in 2023 NBA Finals

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated28 Sep 2023

Denver Nuggets open Game 3 as 2-point favorites over Miami Heat in 2023 NBA Finals

The Denver Nuggets opened as 2-point favorites over the Miami Heat for Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals. Miami hosts Game 3 at Kaseya Center on Wednesday, June 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET. Of course, the over/under is also set at 214.5. Denver is 7-1 in its last eight matchups vs. Miami.

The Nuggets dropped to 43-8 at home for the season after losing 111-108 in Game 2, and they’re 23-25 away. Miami improved to 24-29 away, and the Heat are 34-17 at home for the season. The point total has gone over in six of Denver’s past nine road games.

Referring to a few NBA betting sites, the Nuggets remain the favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals. With the series tied 1-1, sportsbooks are still giving Nikola Jokic the highest odds to win Finals MVP.


In the Nuggets’ 111-108 loss to Miami in Game 2, Jokic finished with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in 42 minutes of action. Jokic shot 16-of-28 (57.1%) from the floor and knocked down two 3-pointers.

The five-time All-Star became the third player in NBA playoffs history to record 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason. The only other players to accomplish this feat are LeBron James (four times: 2015-18 and 2020) and Larry Bird (1987).

Denver Nuggets open as 2-point favorites over the Miami Heat for Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals

Additionally, the Nuggets are 0-3 this postseason when Jokic scores 40 or more points. Denver is 13-1 when the two-time MVP scores less than 40. Those three losses in 40-point games are tied for the most by any player in a postseason in NBA history.

Denver was 11-0 in these playoffs when leading by double digits at any point in a game and 37-1 this season overall when leading by at least eight going into the fourth. However, Miami outscored the Nuggets 17-5 in the first 3:17 of the final frame.

Moreover, the Heat now have four wins when trailing by eight or more points entering the fourth this postseason. It’s the most in a single postseason in NBA history. Miami is 4-5 in those situations, whereas the rest of the NBA is 1-41 this postseason.


Game 2 was the Heat’s seventh double-digit comeback win of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. That’s tied for the most such wins in a single postseason in the last 25 years, joining last season’s Golden State Warriors and the Heat in 2011 and 2012. With three more wins over the Nuggets, Miami will become the first No. 8 seed to win an NBA championship.

Entering Game 3, Miami’s Tyler Herro (right hand) is listed as questionable on the injury report. The 6-foot-5 guard has remained out since sustaining his injury in the Heat’s 130-117 first-round win in Game 1 over the Milwaukee Bucks. The 2022 Sixth Man of the Year is still experiencing soreness and swelling in his shooting hand after workouts, per sources.

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