The Denver Nuggets took Game 1 104-93, but it was a lot more comfortable than that score would indicate. The Miami Heat didn’t seem to have an answer for the Nuggets and Jimmy Butler looks like he’s run out of gas after a brilliant playoff run to this point.
Miami’s role players like Max Strus and Caleb Martin struggled mightily on the road in Denver. Strus went 0-10 from the field and finished with no point while Martin hit just one shot, 1-7, and finished with three points. Meanwhile Denver’s role players dominated, so we can back Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. to do it again in Game 2.
Here are four picks for a Same Game Parlay for NBA Finals Game 2.
Best Heat vs. Nuggets parlay picks
Denver Nuggets Moneyline (-370)
Michael Porter Jr. over 8.5 rebounds (+112)
Aaron Gordon over 13.5 points (-104)
Jimmy Butler 6+ assists (-220)
This same-game parlay pays out +651 in the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Denver Nuggets Moneyline (-370)
The Nuggets had an answer for everything that the Miami Heat do. The Western Conference champs are far too big for Miami to play man-to-man and Nikola Jokic is too skilled for a zone defense. I’m not saying that the Nuggets will sweep, that’s a tough task in the finals and eventually human nature sets in and the team that’s up lets their foot off the gas a bit. However, that’s not going to happen at home in Game 2.
Michael Porter Jr. over 8.5 rebounds (+112)
The Heat are a team of shooting guards. Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, are all small shooting guards and even Caleb Martin is only 6-foot-5. Michael Porter Jr. is a true 6-foot-10 and he had 13 rebounds in Game 1. He and Aaron Gordon have a massive size advantage every time they step on the floor in this series and that’ll manifest in rebounds for MPJ and point for Gordon.
Aaron Gordon over 13.5 points (-104)
Speaking of points for Aaron Gordon, let’s throw in the over to this SGP as well. The entire first quarter it felt like the Nuggets were exposing their size mismatch by feeding Gordon when he found Gabe Vincent. Gordon finished with 16 in the game, and I expect him to have success all series.
Jimmy Butler 6+ assists (-220)
I think Butler is somewhat limited physically, either by fatigue or by a nagging ankle injury. He hasn’t looked like the dominant version of himself we saw in the first few rounds, but some of that had to do with Miami’s lack of shooting in Game 1. Martin and Strus were not hitting any shots last game and if they do in Game 2, Butler is bound to have a few more assists than the seven he had last game.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
