The Nuggets enter these seeding games in one of the more precarious situations in the NBA.
They’ve had several players test positive for COVID and have had a very disjointed ‘pre-season’.
They aren’t exactly a deep team after some of their in-season trades and they’ll be without some of their better players here.
Gary Harris and Will Barton have already been ruled out, with Jamal Murray questionable due to hamstring tightness.
Contrast this with a Heat side that appears to have everyone fit and ready to go for this clash.
I think Bam Adebayo is a capable defender on Jokic, with Miami’s deep and versatile wings likely to contain the Nuggets here.
They’ve also got a big advantage in the coaching department, which should prove huge after a long layoff.
Combine that with a deeper and more versatile rotation and I expect them to cover a narrow 1-point spread here.
While Utah started out with a solid win against New Orleans, I don’t expect their winning form to continue here.
I didn’t think they were especially good in that game and they were heavily reliant on the inconsistent Jordan Clarkson.
They also struggled immensely when Gobert was off the floor, which OKC is more equipped to take advantage on.
While I think their starting five is solid, there’s not a single player on that bench that I trust to produce consistently.
OKC has a starting five that is arguably just as good, with solid bench players like Schroder, Nerlens, and Roberson to round things out.
I particularly like their 3-guard lineup, which looks like it could give Utah defensive problems.
They’ve also got a ton of motivation here, with a real chance to move into a more favourable 4-5 matchup with a win.
Should the game get close late, I like their chances in the free throw game with CP3 and SGA to close.
The Raptors look like great value here, currently getting 4 points.
While the Lakers got the job done against the Clippers, I didn’t think they were especially impressive.
It took a lot of things going right for them against a depleted side for them to barely win and not even cover the spread.
Having essentially sewn up the #1 seed in the West, I wonder how motivated they’ll be the rest of the way.
The Raptors have been practicing longer than any team in the NBA and will likely see this as the perfect chance to make a statement.
Coaching should prove huge in the early part of the bubble and the Raptors possess the best coach in the NBA in Nick Nurse.
They’ve also got an incredibly deep rotation, one which should help them get back up to speed without tiring guys out.
Their defense is second to none and they’ve got several options that can credibly guard LeBron.
Their rotation is also as strong as it can be after recovering from injuries, while LA are bedding in a number of new players.
I think they can definitely win this game outright, but I’ll gladly take the +4 currently on offer.