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The Denver Nuggets are your 2023 NBA Champions. The 1 seed Denver Nuggets beat the 8th seed Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Nuggets won the series 4-1 and collected their championship trophy in front of their own crowd on Monday Night. In fact, it was Denver’s first ever championship, ending a 47-year draught. Oddly enough, both the Heat and the Nuggets had the same odds to win the championship prior to the 2022-2023 season. If you bet on the Nuggets to win the Championship, here is information to know and the recap of Game 5.
NBA Championship Odds (Beginning of the 2022-2023 Season).
Denver Nuggets: +2400
Miami Heat: +2400
All NBA Championship odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook
Finals MVP Odds:
Nikola Jokic (Denver): -5000
Jimmy Butler (Heat): +3000
Jamal Murray (Denver): +3000
Bam Adebayo (Heat): +4000
Aaron Gordon: (Denver): +20000
Caleb Martin: (Heat): +50000
2023 Finals Winner: Denver Nuggets
2023 Finals MVP: Nikola Jokic: -5000
NBA Championship Odds 2023(Next Season)
Denver Nuggets: +450
Miami Heat: +2000
Make sure to check out the latest NBA futures in our betting guide section
Game 5 Summary and Betting Results:
Miami Heat 89 @ Denver Nuggets 94
Betting Odds: Denver -8, Over/Under 209.
Betting Results: Denver Money Line, Miami +8, UNDER (-183).
Game 5 Summary:
The Nuggets had all the momentum going into this game, winning their last 9 of 10 games, and 2 straight against the Miami Heat. Although this was an ugly, sloppy game, the Denver Nuggets managed to win their first ever NBA Championship in front of their home crowd.
Although Nikola Jokic found himself in foul trouble again, he managed to make history, again. Jokic became the first NBA Player to have points, rebounds, and assists in playoff history. Although Nikola Jokic was extremely humble at the end of the game, we often saw him firing up his teammates on the sidelines.
Game 5 was a terrible shooting wise for both teams. Denver shot 18 percent from the three, while Miami shot 26 percent. In addition, the Nuggets shot barely 55 percent from the line, and 45 percent from the field. As for Miami, they got outrebounded by Denver 57-44, and shot only 34 percent from the field. It was a close game the entire night, filled with turnovers, lose balls, and wreck less shooting at times.
Although the Nuggets did not have their best game, all five of their starters finished positive on the floor, with the exception to Michael Porter Jr. We saw a high number of turnovers, especially Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. However, Jokic proved why he was the MVP and was the most consistent player in the entire playoffs. Jokic finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and shot 12-16 in 42 minutes played. Jamal Murray only finished with 14 points, and Aaron Gordon with 4 points. Although the last few minutes of the game were anxious making, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown were able to hit their free-throws to seal the victory.
The Heat had a fantastic 2023 Cinderellas playoff run. Led by Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler and company just simply couldn’t get it done. Although Butler finished with 21 points, we failed to see him take over games and explode. Besides Bam Adebayo, we saw Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Kevin Love, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, and Kyle Lowry struggle from the field. There will be questions whether Miami can acquire a true playmaking point guard in the 2023 off season. Although Denver shot terribly and turned the ball over, they pressured Miami the entire game. They not only limited them from the three, but from the field goal and short range as well. Overall, Denver was the more physical, better, dominant team.
Player Prop Outcomes:
Game 5 was extremely sloppy for both teams and was a relatively low scoring game. If you bet on any player props, let’s look at a few of them.
Nikola Jokic OVER 12.5 Rebounds (-125): 16
Series Stats: 30.2 PPG / 14 REB.
Playoff Stats: 30 PPG /13.5 REB
Nikola Jokic was one of the most dominant, consistent centers we have ever seen in the history of the NBA Playoffs. He made history and became the first player ever to lead in Points, rebounds, and assists in NBA Finals history. One advantage Denver had over Miami was size, especially between Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. Although Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra inserted forward Kevin Love into the starting lineup for size, it simply wasn’t enough.
Nikola Jokic had at least a double-double in each of the 5 games against Miami in the finals. Although his assists varied, his rebounds and points stayed consistent. The least rebounds he obtained was Game 1 with 10, and it soared from there. With the line at -125, the over 12.5 rebounds was too good to resist.
Although Miami did an excellent job keeping up with rebounding in Game 4, we saw what Denver did against them in Game 3 on the boards. Although Jokic hit over 12.5 rebounds in one of the 4 games, he had 21 rebounds in Game 3. With the championship on the line, I expected Jokic to fight down low with Bam Adebayo, especially playing 40 minutes and above. It’s no secret the Denver Nuggets didn’t shoot well from the three this series, and Jokic was there for second chance points. He was easily the best player on the court for the entire NBA Finals.
Aaron Gordon OVER 6.5 Rebounds (-120): 7
Series Stats: 14 PPG / 7.4 REB
Playoff Stats: 13.3 PPG / 6 REB
Aaron Gordon erupted for 27 points in Game 4 and had over 6.5 rebounds 3 out of the 4 games against Miami. Although Aaron Gordon didn’t have the best offensive Game 5, he contributed in other ways. I’ve said this all along, Denver was the more physical, dominant team. Often, you saw Aaron Gordon take advantage of the size advantages both on defense and offense. He played well defensively, and often found himself grabbing boards in the paint, and was a huge x-factor in the Nuggets championship.
Jimmy Butler UNDER 27.5 Points (-125): 21
It’s no secret Jimmy Butler downplayed his injury after the Game 5 loss against Denver. According to the Miami Herald, Jimmy Butler answered, “Zero. My ankle is fine.” Whether or not he was telling the truth to the press, we know he’s struggled with injuries in the playoffs.
Butler led the Heat to wins over the 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks, and 2 seed Boston Celtics. We saw him have as many as 50 plus points, and saw games where he was explosive, and dominant.
Fast forward to the NBA playoffs, Jimmy Butler was nowhere to be found. Whether he was hampered by injuries, or the defense by Jamal Murray was that good, Butler struggled. Jimmy added 21 points on 5-18 shooting in 41 minutes in Game 5 of the NBA finals. In addition, Butler hit UNDER 27.5 points 4 out of the final’s games. Overall, we saw him get to the free-throw line less, something he did in both the Knicks and Celtics series. In addition, we saw him miss mid-range shots he normally makes, and the shot volume was not as high in all 5 games. I love Jimmy Butler, and what he’s done with this heat team. He’s one of the toughest players in the history of the playoffs, however, I wasn’t touching over 27.5 points.
Series Stats: 21.6 PPG/ 36.8 3 PT % / 41.3FG %.
Playoff Stats: 26.9 PPG/ 35.9 3 PT % / 46.8 FG %.
Nikola Jokić OVER 27.5 Points
Although this was one of the more corporate picks, I had to take it here. Jokic was the most consistent players in the finals and scored over 27.5 points 3 out of the 5 games against Miami in the finals. He is an inside threat, who can sink mid-range lobs all night, can hit the three, and fights to get to the free-throw line. Although his first instinct is playmaking, I’ve never seen a Center this dominant in a long time. In addition, Jokic averaged over 30 points per game in the series, and shot incredibly well from inside and outside the perimeter.
Series Stats: 30.2 PPG / 42.1 3 PT % / 58.3 FG %.
Playoff Stats: 30 PPG / 46.1 3 PT % / 54.8 FG %.
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Sara Jane is a full-time content creator, focusing on both college basketball, the NBA, NFL, and writer of Ballislife.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter/YouTube/Kick/Twitch/Instagram: @GGirlSports.
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