NBA Finals Game 4 Same Game Parlays

Nikola Jokic is doing it all in the NBA Finals and with teammate Jamal Murray chipping in the Denver Nuggets are half way to the first NBA title in franchise history. The Miami Heat rebounded from a loss in the opener to hand the Nuggets their first home playoff defeat in Game 2. They’ll need another bounce back performance on Friday to avoid a nearly insurmountable series deficit. Denver was a NBA picks and parlay players dream on Wednesday night winning the game outright, 109-94, as 3.5-point favorite on the closing NBA betting line while getting 30-point triple-doubles from its biggest stars. Denver extended its playoff road winning streak to four with the triumph and hit the board at BetRivers sportsbook as a 3.5-point favorite.

NBA Finals Picks – Game 4

Denver Nuggets -3.5 ( -108 ) -158 ML

Miami Heat +3.5 ( -108 ) +142 ML

Over/Under: 211

Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat

If the Nuggets win the O’Brien Trophy I think it’s safe to say Nikola Jokic is the NBA Finals MVP. He could have subpar outings in two wins and what he accomplished over the first three games would be enough to sway voters. The Heat pretty much conceded after Game 1 that Jokic is better than anything they have, changing up their defensive rotation and strategy to slow Murray instead.

Jokic scored 27 points in Game 1 though he had just three field goal attempts in the first half. He was able to do damage in other areas pulling down 10 rebounds with 14 dimes for his ninth triple-double of the playoffs. Hounded by Jimmy Butler in Game 2, Murray was a non-factor scoring only 18 points, the second fewest in a playoff game, on 7 of 18 shooting, and Jokic went off for 41. But it wasn’t a typical performance by the Joker not having the complementary pieces to take advantage of his pinpoint passes. When it works, though, the Nuggets are an efficient team offensively.

Things have been going well all season for Denver. Jokic nearly averaged a triple-double during the season with Murray scoring 20 points a night. Both upped their game in the postseason with Jokic averaging 30.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 10.1 assists after his monster Game 3. Murray is averaging 27.4 points. The Nuggets made adjustments and both went off on Wednesday with Murray getting 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Jokic went 32-21-10.

The two contribute on the defensive side as well. After Miami shot nearly 50 percent from three-point range in Game 2, the club locked down holding the Heat to 32 percent from deep and 37 percent overall. The Nuggets tighten up defensively on the road cashing the UNDER as a NBA basketball pick in three of the last four away games.

Don’t count the Heat out just yet. Though they were beaten badly twice and escaped with a 3-point victory in Game 2 when Murray missed a potential game-tying shot, they’ve shown resiliency during the postseason, especially in the Eastern Conference Final winning Game 7 on the road. And Butler has a tendency to rise to the occasion when the club needs him most. And they need him now with a Game 4 loss putting them in 1-3 series hole.

After their 15-point loss on Wednesday, Butler noted the club lacked energy and focus. And being the leader he is, he personally vowed to be better in Game 4. That means several things if Miami is going to be the NBA playoff pick on Friday. The Heat don’t score a lot of points so making their shots count is huge. They shot just 37 percent from the floor in Game 3 with Butler hitting 11 of 24 shots. Take his numbers out and the percentage dips to 33.8.

Playing better defense would also help. You can’t allow two opponents to collect 30-point triple-doubles in the same game and Butler stressed being better defending. If they can’t slow down Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, it could be another long night watching Jokic do whatever he wants, but if they do we’re likely to have a low scoring affair.

NBA Game 4 Same Game Parlay Picks: Miami Heat +3.5 / UNDER 211

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