2 best bets for Game 5 of the NBA Finals

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The Nuggets have taken a commanding 3-1 lead on the Miami Heat heading into Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. The Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray combo has been virtually unstoppable in its quest for an NBA title, and the Nuggets are just one win away from reaching their goal. Standing in their way is a resilient Heat team that’s defied the odds all postseason. History is against them, however, as the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to win a championship.

Will the Heat be next? They’ve been counted out before, but they’ll need a big showing from their role players and Jimmy Butler to bring the series back to Miami.

Here are my two best bets ahead of Monday’s tipoff:

Jimmy Butler over 12.5 rebounds + assists (-125)

As much as I would love to bet Jimmy Buckets over in points, I can’t get there. He’s been under 26.5 points in three of four games in this series, and as he’s said this postseason, he’s not a scorer; he just wants to win:

And he’s right. Butler’s scoring has dropped to 21.4 points per game, his lowest of any series in this postseason. But facing elimination, expect Butler to impact all facets of the game.

The Heat’s identity this postseason has been playing outstanding defense and knocking down three-pointers. Being down 3-1 with their backs against the wall, they’ll need to resurrect that identity if they’re going to extend the series. The Heat are known for their tenacity and effort. As the leader of the Heat, I’m anticipating Butler to come out aggressively, doing everything he can to elevate his teammates in a closeout game.

Now, that’s easier said than done. The Nuggets are torching the Heat with the Jokić-Murray pick-and-roll plus dribble-handoff combinations. But offensively, the Heat are also missing shots they’ve shown a propensity to hit throughout this postseason.

Butler has the third-highest potential assist total in this series at 11.3 per game and is averaging 6.8 assists (Butler’s most of any series in this postseason). And while he’s only securing five rebounds per game, his rebound chances are over 10. The opportunities are…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2023-06-12 21:10:42

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