Yahoo Sports 2023 Heat-Nuggets NBA Finals primer: Full schedule, ticket info, who’s favored and more
The 2023 NBA Finals are set.
The Miami Heat will face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, with Game 1 set for Thursday in Denver. The Nuggets are making their first appearance in the NBA Finals, while the Heat is heading to the NBA Finals for the seventh time in franchise history and the sixth time in the past 13 seasons.
Heat heading to Denver for NBA Finals after Game 7 win against Celtics in Boston
SCHEDULE:
Game 1 on Thursday, 8:30 p.m. at Ball Arena in Denver (ABC)
Game 2 on Sunday, 8 p.m. at Ball Arena in Denver (ABC)
Game 3 on June 7, 8:30 p.m. at Kaseya Center in Miami (ABC)
Game 4 on June 9, 8:30 p.m. at Kaseya Center in Miami (ABC)
Game 5 on June 12, 8:30 p.m. at Ball Arena in Denver (ABC)*
Game 6 on June 15, 8:30 p.m. at Kaseya Center in Miami (ABC)*
Game 7 on June 18, 8 p.m. at Ball Arena in Denver (ABC)*
* if necessary
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Nuggets finished the regular season with the top record in the Western Conference and the NBA’s fourth-best record at 53-29 behind only the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. As the West’s top seed, the Nuggets eliminated the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the first round, ousted the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the second round and swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the West finals. The Nuggets have nine days off before Game 1 of the NBA Finals after completing the sweep of the Lakers on May 22.
The Heat needed to qualify for the playoffs through the play-in tournament, getting in as the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed with a 44-38 regular-season record. The Heat then upset the top-seeded Bucks 4-1 in the first round, got past the fifth-seeded New York Knicks 4-2 in the second round and earned a Game 7 win in Boston on Monday to eliminate the Celtics 4-3 in the East finals to become just the second No. 8 seed in league history to get to the NBA Finals and the first No. 8 seed to do it in a non-lockout shortened season.
HEAD TO HEAD: The Heat lost both regular-season matchups against the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets and has struggled against Denver in recent years. The Heat has dropped six straight games and 11 of its previous 13 meetings against the Nuggets dating back to the 2016-17 season.
TICKETS: Tickets for the Heat’s home games in the NBA Finals against the Nuggets are already on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at Heat.com/postseasontickets or Ticketmaster.com.
ODDS: The Nuggets are a big favorite, opening as a 1-to-5 favorite (-500) to win the series, according to FanDuel. The betting line for Thursday’s Game 1 opened with the Nuggets as a nine-point favorite over the Heat.
