Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 06/06/2024, 08:10  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 06/06/2024 at 08:14 in NBA Predictions

The Boston Celtics will host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Thursday night. The Celtics ended the regular season as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Mavericks were seeded fifth in the Western Conference. 

The Celtics finished the season with the NBA's best offense and the third-best defense, outscoring opponents by 11.3 points per 100 possessions. They dominated the Eastern Conference, finishing a remarkable 14 games ahead of the second-place Knicks and becoming just the 26th team in NBA history to win 64 or more games. In the postseason, Boston defeated the shorthanded Miami Heat in five games, losing only Game 2 of the series. They then beat the injury-riddled Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, again dropping just Game 2 at home. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers, who were missing Tyrese Haliburton for Games 3 and 4. Jrue Holiday may face the toughest defensive assignment of the series if he’s tasked with guarding Luka Doncic, who is having the season of his life. The Celtics are 3-0 in Game 1s this postseason.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are back in the Finals for the first time since 2011 after defeating three 50-win teams in the Western Conference playoffs. They first overcame the No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in six games before eliminating the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in another six-game series. Finally, they dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had just defeated the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, also in six games, marking their third Finals appearance in franchise history. Despite beating the Timberwolves 108-105 in Game 1 of the third round, Dallas lost each of its previous Game 1s by double digits. While they enter the Finals as underdogs, it’s difficult to write off the Mavericks, who have a certain Luka Doncic on their side. Doncic and Kyrie Irving led Dallas to a 16-2 run late in the regular season before both sat out the final two games, and they will be critical to their success in the Finals.