Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals will take place on Thursday from the TD Garden in Boston. The Dallas Mavericks are at the Boston Celtics in the first of the best of seven series. The winner of this series is crowned the NBA Champion for the 2023-2024 season.
The Dallas Mavericks were the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Dallas downed the Clippers in six games, the Thunder in six games and Minnesota in five games. The Mavericks went 50-32 during the regular season.
The Boston Celtics had the best record in all of the NBA during the regular season. Boston went 64-18 and ran away with the East. The Celtics have won 12-2 in the postseason. Their lone losses came in Game 2 to Miami and Game 2 against Cleveland. Boston has won 7 straight postseason games.
Boston comes into the game as the favorite. The Celtics are -6.5 over the Mavericks. The total is set at 214.5. Boston is -230 on the moneyline, while the Dallas Mavericks are +190.
Underdog Dallas
The Dallas Mavericks do not mind being the underdog in this series. Essentially, the Mavericks have been the underdog the entire postseason. Knocking off the 4 seed, 1 seed and 3 seed on their way to the NBA Finals. Dallas won by 21 on the road to eliminate Minnesota in Game 5.
In that win, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both scored 36 points. Doncic finished the series with 32 points per game. He also had three games in the series with 10+ rebounds, and another two with 10+ assists. Irving, who is 32, is no stranger to postseason success. During hte regular season, he played in 58 games and scored nearly 26 points per game.
The Mavericks scored 117.9 points per game. Dallas made 14.6 three point shots per game. That was third in the league. These will be two of the top three point shooting teams in the league. Dallas struggles a bit at the free throw line, making just 75.8%.
High Scoring Celtics
The Boston Celtics are one of the top scoring teams in all of the league. Boston scored more than 120 points per game in the regular season. The Celtics were also the best three point shooting teams, with 16.5 makes per game. Boston was second in rebounding, with 46.3 per game.
Jayson Tatum was the top scorer for Boston during the regular season. He scored 26.9 per game. Jaylen Brown was second with 23 per game, while Kristaps Porzingis scored 20.1 per game. Boston expects Porzingis to return, after missing the entire month of May with a calf injury.
The Celtics in the Game 4 win over Indiana saw four guys score double digits. Jrue Holiday was a big key for Boston, as he scored 17 points in the series clincher. During the series, the former UCLA guard scored 18.5 points per game.
Celtics Cook in Game 1
The Boston Celtics are at home, and well rested. Some feel like maybe too much rest, but they are going to be ready to go. Look for Boston to get their offensive game going early and come away with a 10 point win in this game.
Our final bet for Game 1 of the series is the Boston Celtics -6.5 over the Dallas Mavericks. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your NBA betting!
