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All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
Nuggets at Heat, 8:30 p.m. | TV: ABC
- The Pick: Nuggets -3.5 (-110)
- Key Trend: The Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings in Miami.
The Heat showed incredible resilience in Game 2 to even the series. However, I just can't see the Nuggets dropping two games in a row.
The Heat had to shoot nearly 49 percent from three in order to take down the Nuggets in Game 2. Even with that insane success rate from the perimeter, Miami still only managed to win by three points. You're likely not going to get Gabe Vincent dropping 23 points on a regular basis, as well as three of the Heat's starters surpassing the 20-point mark.
When it comes to the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic scored 41 points to pace the team, but it still wasn't enough. While Jokic has had a postseason for the ages, it's been the presence of Jamal Murray that has really been the straw that stirs the drink for Denver. Murray scored just 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting in Game 2. Sure, that's not terrible by any stretch, but it's also not the efficient clip that we're used to seeing from Murray.
Prior to Game 2, Murray had topped the 25-point mark in each of his last six playoff games and connected on at least four threes in four of those contests. I'm looking for Murray to be more aggressive. Assuming he is, the Nuggets should be able to cover this relatively small number.
💰 More MLB Picks
Cardinals at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Rangers (-155) -- The Rangers have been on fire lately. They've won seven of their last eight games and are currently riding a five-game winning streak. The Rangers lead baseball with a .279 batting average while also knocking in an MLB-best 371 runs. Ride the wave until they prove you wrong.
The pitching matchup also favors the Rangers in this spot. Starter Jon Gray has been tremendous with a 6-1 record and a 2.51 ERA. Gray has gotten into the win column in each of his last five starts. In addition, the Rangers haven't lost one of Gray's starts since April 26. Meanwhile, Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty hasn't exactly looked like an ace on the year. He carries a less-than-stellar 4.55 ERA into Wednesday's start and only has won one of his outings since April 28. In his last seven starts, he's only pitched at least six innings in two of those games.
Key Trend: The Cardinals are 1-10 in the last 11 meetings.
The Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 50.5 Points, Assists, & Rebounds (-113) -- As I mentioned above, Jokic has had one of the more impressive postseason runs that we've seen in NBA history. He is nearly averaging a triple-double and records them in his sleep. That's why you can automatically bet Jokic's points, assists and rebounds prop and feel great about it.
In Game 2, Jokic still cleared this number with ease. Jokic has tallied at least 51 points, assists and rebounds in five of his last six games. For a larger sample size, the two-time NBA MVP has topped this number in 12 of Denver's 17 playoff games throughout the 2023 postseason. The Heat simply have had no answer for Jokic due to the fact that he affects the game in a variety of ways. Look for this number to hit yet again.
Key Trend: Jokic has recorded at least 51 points, assists, and rebounds in five of his last six games.
