Mavericks vs Celtics Odds, Betting Lines & Score Prediction Game 1

It’s an incredibly star-studded NBA Finals starting on Thursday night as Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks visit Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the East champion Boston Celtics, who are solid favorites on the NBA odds.

Dallas at Boston, Game 1 – 2024 NBA Expert Analysis

Dallas Mavericks Betting Odds +193

Dallas was only the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference but beat the No. 4 LA Clippers in six games in Round 1, then took out No. 1 Oklahoma City in six in Round 2 before knocking off Minnesota in five in the West Finals capped by a 124-103 win in the Twin Cities last Thursday. Luka Doncic had a 20-point first quarter on his way to 36 points for his high this postseason. He also added 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Doncic scored at least 30 points in four of the five contests vs. Minnesota and averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals on 47.3/43.4/84.6 shooting splits across the series. The superstar heads into his first NBA Finals against the Celtics after being awarded the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP.

Kyrie Irving had 36 points, five assists and four boards in Game 5, Irving’s second-highest scoring tally of the playoffs so far. He averaged 27.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 49.0/37.5/80.8 shooting splits across the five games vs. the Wolves. The 31-year-old guard is in his fourth career NBA Finals – this time against his former Celtics team.

There’s no question Irving will be the “bad guy” in this series for Celtics fans. In August 2017, the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers officially announced a blockbuster trade sending Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and two draft picks. Leading into the 2018-19 season, Irving took the microphone during a season-ticket holder event at TD Garden. He told Celtics fans that, while he wasn’t eligible to sign an extension until the offseason, he was committed to staying in Boston.

“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here,” he told the cheering crowd. That was completely false.

Center Daniel Gafford had 11 points, nine rebounds and a block in the finale vs. Minnesota. With the return of rookie Dereck Lively from an injury, Gafford saw his playing time decrease from 31 minutes in Game 4 to 20 in Game 5. He averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 24.4 minutes across the five games in the Western Conference Finals. Lively added nine points, eight boards and three blocks off the bench but actually played more minutes than Gafford did.

Against Boston, the Mavs are trying to become just the second team in history seeded outside the top four in their conference to win the title. They own a sparkling 7-2 record on the road in these playoffs. Jason Kidd said it best during the Mavericks’ march through the West.

“You can’t be scared of winning on the road,” he said. “And you can’t be scared of close games. “Sometimes when you’re young, it’s easier to be on the road, maybe. It’s been that way throughout the season. A lot of teams have won on the road. It’s hard to protect home.”

Boston Celtics Betting Odds -256

The Celtics for the most part have been favored to win the NBA title all season and they finished with easily the NBA’s best record. They have gotten very fortunate in these playoffs with their opponents all dealing with key injuries: In the first round, Miami didn’t have Jimmy Butler at all. In Round 2, Jarrett Allen didn’t play at all for Cleveland and All-Star Donovan Mitchell missed the final two games. In the East Finals, Indiana was without All-Star Tyrese Haliburton the final two games.

Boston finished off its sweep of the Pacers with a 105-102 road win on May 27 so the team could be a bit rusty. Jayson Tatum dominated that series, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in the finale, finishing just two assists away from recording what would’ve been his first triple-double since April 21. Tatum has scored 25 or more points in all but one of his last eight contests.

After coming up short in his first trip to the NBA Finals two years ago against Golden State, Tatum says he views this return to the league’s championship round as a second chance at achieving his ultimate goal as a player. Playing through a wrist injury in the 2022 Finals, Tatum averaged 21.5 points but shot 31.5% from 2-point range, including going 6-for-18 from the field in a Game 6 loss at TD Garden as the Warriors won another title.

“It’s a lot that myself, and we, can learn from that experience being in the Finals, and this time, this go-around is a lot different,” Tatum said. “Obviously, we’ve been there before, we came up short. And a great opportunity to make it to the Finals again. You don’t always get a second chance, so really just looking at it as a second chance and trying to simplify things as much as we can.”

Jaylen Brown was also excellent in the last round and finished with 29 points, six rebounds and two assists in Game 4. Brown surpassed the 25-point mark in three of the four games he played against Indiana after accomplishing that feat just three times in the previous two series combined. He was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. He was the hero of Game 1 when he forced a turnover late in regulation to set up his game-tying 3-pointer to send the match into overtime. He was the star of Game 2 when he erupted for a playoff career-high-tying 40 points in a blowout win. He had his most efficient performance of the series in Game 3 when he scored 24 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field. And Browns had his fingerprints all over the title-clinching crunch-time victory.

Much of Brown’s improvement has come on the defensive end, which was visible throughout the series and especially toward the end of Game 4. Indiana was held scoreless during the final 3:32 of action as the C’s went on a 7-0 run.

“I think I’m one of the best two-way wings in this game,” Brown said. “I thought this year, I’ve taken it to a level and I’ve increased it. I took the matchup. I picked up guys full-court. I chased guys off screens. I’ve battled with bigs … I like to set my hat on just being a versatile two-way wing who can do both at any point in time. The last four minutes of this game, you saw that.”

Jrue Holiday played through an illness in Game 4 and had 17 points and nine rebounds. Holiday had some excellent performances against the Pacers, averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game in the series.

Starting center and former Dallas Maverick Kristaps Porzingis has been out for more than four weeks since suffering a calf strain during Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Heat. Although Porzingis is a key cog at both ends of the court, the Celtics have still been able to go 9-1 without him. It remains unclear whether he will get back for Game 1.

Coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics are also confident in their ability to prepare for the NBA Finals. Two years ago, the C’s were a team lacking Finals experience. This time, the shoe is on the other foot, with every member of Boston’s rotation having participated in at least one in their career, while the only Mavericks to have done so are Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris. Al Horford said the Celtics “absolutely” will benefit from their experiences two seasons ago.

“I think it is gonna help tremendously, because the first time, it felt like a roller coaster,” Horford said. “Just a lot going on. The increased coverage of media and all the responsibilities that we had and just everything that came with it.

Bet Mavericks at Celtics NBA Odds

When: Thursday, 8:30 PM ET
Where: TD Garden
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN radio

Mavericks vs. Celtics Season Series

Boston was 2-0 vs. Dallas this season with the last meeting on March 1 in Boston and the C’s prevailing 138-110. Jayson Tatum made five 3-pointers and scored 32 points, while Jaylen Brown added 25 points and seven rebounds as the Celtics knocked down 21 3s. Former Mavericks Kristaps Porzingis finished with 24 points as seven Celtics reached double figures. In the loss, Luka Doncic had a triple-double of 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, only the eighth player to record a 30-point triple-double in Boston, and the first since Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook accomplished the feat on Dec. 23, 2016. Former Celtic Kyrie Irving had 19 points.

MAVERICKS. CELTICS. 🍿

The #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV are officially set!

Game 1: Thursday, June 6th at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/9U9ng7hAjr

— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2024

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