The Celtics made a statement in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, blowing out the Mavericks, 107-89, easily covering the spread as 6.5-point betting favorites. The Celtics are favorites in Game 2, according to NBA Finals odds posted at BetMGM, with the Mavericks offered at on the moneyline to win the game outright.
Boston did not have a single player go off and carry the team in Thursday’s series opener, making the performance that much more impressive. Six Celtics scored in double figures, and a seventh, Sam Hauser, contributed eight. The balanced team performance gave the Mavericks fits, as they couldn’t focus their defensive attention anywhere without giving up a good look for another Boston player.
Give Dallas credit. They made a push in the third quarter, reducing a 21-point halftime deficit to just eight. The Celtics took a timeout after their lead shrunk to single digits, and whatever Joe Mazzulla said must have worked because Boston came out of the huddle and went on a 14-0 run to take the lead back to 20 going into the fourth quarter.
They say a series doesn’t start until a team loses at home, but the Mavericks need to perform better in Game 2, even if it’s in a loss, to give them confidence before heading back to Dallas.
Here, we examine odds, betting news, and player prop bets for Mavericks vs. Celtics and give you our best bets for Game 2 of these NBA Finals.
Mavericks vs. Celtics odds: Point spread, moneyline, total
Here are the latest NBA betting odds for Dallas vs. Boston Game 2 from BetMGM.
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Dallas Mavericks betting news and analysis
Dallas needs Kyrie Irving to be better, and there will be a lot of attention on him after his post-game comments (“I thought it was gonna be a little louder in here.”). After going 6-for-19 in Game 1 with just 12 points, Irving has to be better for the Mavericks to have a chance in Game 2 and the series.
The analysis around Dallas feels similar to the past few years: Luka Doncic is playing like an MVP but does not have enough support. Doncic had 30 points, 10 rebounds and one assist in Game 1. He averaged 9.8 assists per game in the regular season and 8.4 a game in the playoffs. For him to have just one assist, it is evident that his teammates were not knocking down shots. Doncic had not had fewer than five assists in any other game during the playoffs.
Doncic had four of the team’s seven made threes, and that will not be good enough for Dallas to compete with Boston, which made 16. The good news is that Irving has scored fewer than 20 points only three other times in the playoffs, and he has bounced back each time to score 20+.
Boston Celtics betting news and analysis
Everything was sunshine and rainbows for the Celtics in Game 1. It was one of the more impressive team performances in recent memory of the NBA Finals. Boston has surrounded its Big 2 of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with one of the NBA’s best-supporting casts.
When previewing the series, we mentioned a few keys for the Celtics. One was a healthy Kristaps Porzingis as an X-factor in not allowing games to be close in the fourth quarter because Dallas has better closers. Porzingis looked 100% healthy, scoring 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots. The Celtics kept a commanding lead, not allowing the Mavericks to be close enough to give away the game late.
Mavericks vs. Celtics best prop bet: Kyrie bounces back
While Kyrie Irving played as poorly in Game 1 as he has in all postseason, he almost always bounces back. We expect Irving to do just that in Game 2, and that’s why we like the OVER 22.5 points (-130) at BetMGM for a player prop pick.
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Mavericks vs. Celtics ATS prediction
The Celtics performed perfectly in Game 1, and the Mavericks played terribly. It was a perfect storm in favor of Boston. Game 2 could still see the Celtics win, but we predict a closer game and like Dallas to cover the spread.
Prediction: Mavericks