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After dropping Game 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Denver Nuggets won four the of next five to wrap up the series and get to the second round. Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win NBA MVP and Michael Porter Jr. was a finalist for Most Improved Player. The Nuggets are without Jamal Murray, but still have plenty of weapons at their disposal.
Denver’s core of Murray, Jokic and Porter Jr. were instrumental in the team being in contention for the West’s top seed for much of the season. A trade for Aaron Gordon in the middle of the year only bolstered Denver’s hopes, but Murray’s injury seemed to take the wind out of the Nuggets’ sails. The team continued to stay afloat without the star point guard, but expectations were definitely tempered. However, the defending champions Lakers are now out and that means the field is wide open. With Jokic at the helm, the Nuggets should be confident.
Nuggets odds to win NBA championship, 6/4: +2200
This is a big number, largely because of Murray’s injury. It’s not a stretch the Nuggets might be favored in their series with the Phoenix Suns if the guard was healthy. Denver still has the MVP favorite in Jokic and that’s more than enough to take out any team remaining in the West field. The Nuggets would probably run out of gas against the East winner, but at that point it’s one series and anything can happen. As far as high risk high reward bets go, this is the one to look at.
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