03 June, 2023
Game 2 of the NBA Finals will take place at Ball Arena on Sunday between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. It’s 1-0 Nuggets in favor. Denver is starting this game as a 9-point favorite according to Vegas oddsmakers but they have since come down to -8. The final betting total is 215.5.
In Game 1, the Heat suffered a defeat with a score of 104-93. In terms of fouls, the Heat ended up with 15 while the Nuggets had 8 at the end of the contest. Additionally, 8 of their 27 3-point attempts were successful. Denver eventually made 16 of 20 attempts at free throws, shooting 80.0% overall. Denver also received 4 rejections while collecting 45 boards (6 offensive, 39 defensive). Denver had 4 steals and 29 assists in this game. Miami’s defense allowed the opposition to shoot 40 of 79 shots for a 50.6% field goal percentage. In addition to causing 10 turnovers for the opposition and collecting 5 steals, they also handed out 26 assists in this contest. They obtained 43 rebounds, with 11 of them coming from the attacking end. The Heat made 2 out of 2 free throw attempts for a 100 percent success rate. Miami finished the game with a 40.6% field goal percentage (39 out of 96) and 13 of their 39 3-point attempts being made.
One player who participated in this game was Bam Adebayo. Adebayo contributed 5 assists while shooting 52.0% from the field overall. He played 40 minutes and grabbed 13 rebounds in total. On 13 of 25 shots, he was successful in scoring 26 points.
Miami has a 44-38 record thus far this year entering this matchup. They lose control of the ball 13.5 times a game, and as a team, they commit 18.5 personal fouls each game. Miami ranks 25th in the league in terms of passing with an average of 40.6 rebounds per game and 1,955 assists overall. The Heat are making 83.1% of their free throw attempts and shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc (980 of 2,852). They shoot 46.0% from the field and score 109.5 points per game, which ranks them 30th in the league.
The Heat are forcing 15.7 turnovers per game and accruing 20.0 personal fouls on the court’s defensive end. They allow 36.7% of attempts from beyond the arc, ranking them second in the NBA in points per game (109.8). The Heat surrender 41.8 boards per contest and a 48.2% field goal percentage (3,288 of 6,822) on average. With 2,097 assists sent out this season, they are now placed 14th in basketball when it comes to handing out assists to their opponents.
In Game 1, Denver allowed Miami to grab a total of 43 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive. They made 13 of their 39 attempts from beyond the arc, shooting 33.3% overall, and shot 2 of 2 from the line (100.0%). The Heat had a shooting percentage of 40.6% during the game as the Nuggets allowed them to convert 39 of their 96 field goal attempts. The Nuggets shot 79 shots overall and made 40 of them, for a 50.6% clip. Denver made 8 of 27 tries at long-range shots that were successful (29.6%). 16 of those could be converted, for an efficiency of 80.0%. The Heat committed 15 personal fouls during the contest, forcing the Nuggets to attempt 20 free throws. They committed 10 turnovers in this game as well, although they did manage to steal 4 balls. In this game, the Nuggets pulled down 45 total rebounds, including 39 defensive and 6 offensive.
In the end, Nikola Jokic made a difference for the Nuggets in the game. In this game, Jokic played 40 minutes on the court and scored 27 points while dishing out 14 assists. He collected 10 rebounds and made 8 out of 12 shots for the game (66.7%).
Denver has a 53-29 win-loss record thus far this season. The Nuggets lead the NBA in offensive execution, connecting on 50.4% of their shots from the field. Denver has scored 9,495 points this season (115.8 per game), grabbing 43.0 boards per contest. They give away possession 14.5 times per game while giving up assists 28.9 times per game, which is second in the league. The Nuggets average 18.6 fouls per game and shoot 75.1% from the line at the charity stripe.
In terms of points allowed per game, the Nuggets are eighth in the league with 112.5. They average 13.5 turnovers a game from their opponents and allow teams to shoot 47.8% from the field, which ranks 20th in the league. The opponents are making 77.5% of their free throw attempts while the Denver defense is allowing 34.4% of attempts from beyond the arc (933 of 2,711). They are currently ranked 16th and first in the league in both assists allowed (25.7) and total boards (40.8).
Which team will cover the spread in tonight’s NBA game?
Pick: Take Denver (-8)