Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks Game 1 Prediction, Picks, Odds, News, Injury Report 6/6/24

The Boston Celtics were expected to be here. The same cannot be said of the Dallas Mavericks, as they prepare for their first NBA Finals game since Dirk Nowitzki and co. defeated the Heatles in 2011. The betting odds reflect this disparity, with Boston priced as 6.5-point favourites for the series opener at TD Garden on Thursday night. Our Celtics vs Mavericks Game 1 Prediction at 2.80 odds is available below!

Boston is appearing in the Finals for a second time in three seasons after cruising through the Eastern Conference with a 12-2 record. The Celtics are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers on 17 titles, but Boston has won just one title since 1986.

With the NBA Finals tipping off, our Expert Insights are stacked with basketball betting tips. Expert Sam Cox will have his best bets throughout the remainder of the postseason.

Celtics vs Mavericks Prediction and Picks: 2.80 Bet Builder for Game 1 of the NBA Finals

• Luka Dončić over 31.5 points
• Dallas Mavericks +6.5

Bet Builder Odds: 2.80

Odds as of June 5th 2024. Odds may now differ.

While the Celtics have made light work of the Eastern Conference, there are still some unknowns about this team. They haven’t really been tested yet. They haven’t had to face a healthy, two-way juggernaut like this Mavericks team. We won’t quite go as far as saying Dallas will take Game 1 after losing the series opener to the Thunder and Clippers, but we’re expecting them to at least stay within a couple of field goals.

Celtics vs Mavericks Game Info

• Stadium: TD Garden
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Start time: 01:30 UK time

Boston Celtics News, Injury Report, Schedule: Porzingis Returns

Kristaps Porzingis is expected to recover from his calf injury in time to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren have had significantly positive net ratings in Dallas’ last two series – Porzingis will be an influential player at both ends of the floor.

Boston is bound to be careful with Porzingis’ minutes early in this series. Al Horford did a solid enough job against the Indiana Pacers, but the Celtics will be doing all they can to avoid switching either of their big men onto Luka Dončić or Kyrie Irving. It will be fascinating to see how Joe Mazzulla matches up with Dallas’ star guards, and how frequently they switch up their coverages against Dončić.

Dallas Mavericks News, Injury Report, Schedule: Road Dominance

Dallas has gone 7-2 on the road this postseason, including five consecutive wins in Oklahoma City and Minneapolis. Boston’s two losses in these playoffs have been at TD Garden, and the Celtics have put in some dud postseason performances on their home floor in recent years.

Neither Luka Dončić nor Kyrie Irving are intimidated by going on the road. Dallas’ role players have also put in some big performances away from home in each series. The challenge for the Mavs in Game 1 will be maintaining focus on the defensive end and keeping locked in against Boston’s ball movement – they will be happy to force Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown into isolations against their plus wing defenders.

Celtics vs Mavericks H2H: Celtics Hold Narrow Edge

The Celtics have a 46-40 advantage over the Mavericks in the all-time regular-season series. This is the first ever postseason contest between the franchises, with both of the Mavericks’ previous Finals appearances coming against the Miami Heat in 2006 and 2011.

Boston has won the last four meetings, but Dallas won the prior four games. The teams have not split a regular-season series since 2018-19.

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