Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-The Boston Celtics hold home-court advantage for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, looking to take a 2-0 series lead against the Dallas Mavericks. Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-The Celtics are once again heavy favorites on the money line, retaining the bookies’ support after a dominant 107-89 win in Game 1. Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-The pressure is now on the Mavericks to avoid falling. Historically, 70% of teams that win Game 1 go on to win the championship.
The Celtics, on the strength of their home crowd and the return of Kristaps Porginis, are in a strong position to double their dominance. However, the Mavericks have been resilient, overcoming a slow start before the playoffs. Their second-half performance, in which they nearly closed out the Celtics’ 29-point lead at the end of the first, may indicate that they are not out of the championship game just yet.
Basketball: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 2
Where to watch: ABC
Venue: TD Garden, Boston
Date: 10.06.2024. 03:00
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics were clearly looking to clinch an 18th championship by crushing the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in Game 1. Led by Jaylen Brown’s 22 points, five other Celtics players reached double figures in scoring. Their offensive efficiency was impressive, shooting 55% from the field and 41% from three-point range. The Celtics have the best offense and defense in the league, so it should come as no surprise that they limited the Mavericks to just 37.5% shooting from the field, including a disappointing 25% from beyond the arc.
Luka Doncic, the Mavericks star, returned to his usual scoring average, finishing with 30 points and 10 rebounds, but committed a team-high three turnovers. Kyrie Irving, a former Celtics player, was booed relentlessly by the crowd and managed just three field goals. Returning Kristaps Porginis, a former Dallas Mavericks player who missed ten basketball games with a calf injury, got off to a great start in his return, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds with three blocks.
Dallas Mavericks
Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-After taking a hammering in the first half, the Dallas Mavericks showed signs of life in the third quarter. Luka Doncic, who finished with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds, led his team on a run that narrowed the deficit to 8 points in the fourth quarter. Celtics vs Mavericks-However, the Boston Celtics weathered the storm and saw the win over the line. The Mavericks coaching crew must find a way to avoid slowing teams on both ends of the floor in Game 2.
Dallas struggled offensively, shooting 37.5% from the field and 25% from three-point range. Kyrie Irving scored 12 points and had a minus-18 rating in the first half in a tough comeback in Boston. The veteran Irvin will need to shut down the Celtics’ crowd opposition and support Doncic with more points on the board.
Betting odds
Dallas Mavericks are 3.26 underdogs at 1xBet, with Boston Celtics 1.855 odds to cover the (-6.5) spread. At Betway, over 215.5 is worth 1.93, with 1.66 odds listed below. Luka Doncic is 1.83 odds to score over 31.5 points at Bet365, while Jaylen Brown is priced at 1.83 to 22.5 points. Read more
Why the Celtics can cover
Center Kristaps Porzingis returned in Game 1 of the series and was a dominant force against his former team. Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-He finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in just 21 minutes of action. He scored 24 points in his lone game against the Mavericks during the regular season. In five postseason games, including four starts, he is averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.4 assists and one steal in 25.2 minutes.
Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-Small forward Jayson Tatum is Boston Celtics main weapon on offense. He finished Game 1, coming off his third straight double-double, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a block. Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-He has dominated Dallas in the past and averaged 35.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, four assists, 1.5 steals and one block in two regular season games this year. In 15 playoff starts, he averaged 25.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and one steal in 40.6 minutes. See any team picks here.
Why cover Mavericks?
Point guard Luka Doncic registered his second straight double-double and reached 30 or more points for the ninth time this postseason in Game 1. Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-In 18 postseason games, all starts, Doncic averaged 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 41.3 minutes.
Point guard Kyrie Irving reached double figures in scoring for the eighth straight game in Thursday’s loss. In 37 minutes of action, he scored 12 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out two steals and two assists. Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-He played well against Boston this season. In two regular-season games, he averaged 21 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal in 36.5 minutes.
How to pick Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks
Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks-Marshall leans on point totals. He also identified a critical X-factor that must return to one side of the spread. He’s sharing exclusively with SportsLine what it is, and which way to turn.