The Boston Celtics lead the Dallas Mavericks 2-0 in the NBA Finals. However, both wins for the Celtics came at home. Now, they’ll be headed to Dallas for Game 3 on Wednesday. It’s a pivotal game that will really shape the series.
If the Mavericks can find a way to win Game 3, they’ll be one win away from tying up the series to two with another home game on Friday. However, if the Celtics win, they’ll have a chance at clinching the NBA Finals in a potential four-game sweep in Dallas.
Before heading to our top-rated sportsbooks, we asked the AI Model for the best bet for Game 3, and we got our answer.
And don’t forget to check out more NBA picks on our YouTube channel. Today, our expert covered this game with an alternative betting angle.
NBA Pick
- Mavericks -1.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 – 08:30 PM ET at American Airlines Center
Our AI Model projects the Mavericks will win by two points at home, 107-105. With Dallas currently at -1.5 at home, the Mavericks against the spread are the best option.
Can Dallas Find Its Offense?
Luka Doncic took the blame for the Game 2 loss to the Boston Celtics. He blamed his missed free throws and turnovers that were costly towards the end of the game.
While he’s not wrong, the Mavericks need to find a better offense.
Luka Doncic has put up big numbers in the first two games. However, nobody else has. Dallas didn’t have anyone score more than 17 points other than Doncic in Game 2 of the series.
Kyrie Irving shot just 7-for-18 from the field and added 16 points. It was the second consecutive game where he wasn’t even a top-two scorer on the Mavericks.
Offensive Woes
Meanwhile, the Mavericks’ bench contributed just nine points despite four players getting 11+ minutes of game action. Therefore, the big question is whether the Mavericks can find their footing offensively.
Personally, I think they will. In Game 3 against the Timberwolves, when Dallas came back home, the Mavericks went off on the offensive end. Dallas scored 128.9 points per 100 possessions and shot a 66.2% effective field goal percentage.
Those are elite numbers, but that wasn’t even Dallas’ best offensive game against Minnesota. The Mavericks were just more aggressive in that game and got to the foul line at a super high rate.
That’s something the Mavericks will want to consider doing at home in the third game.
How Good Are The Celtics?
At this point, it’s obvious that the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. For the second consecutive game, Jayson Tatum didn’t shoot the ball very effectively, yet, the Celtics escaped with another win.
Tatum played better all-around in Game 2. He scored 18 points and added 12 assists with nine rebounds. However, he only went 6-for-22 from the field and hit 1-for-7 from downtown. That’s not a superstar stat line.
That said, the Celtics’ leading scorer was Jrue Holiday in Game 2. He scored 26 points on 11-for-14 from the field.
This is the depth that the Mavericks don’t have. At any given moment, the Celtics could have someone step up and score points. We’ve seen Kristaps Porzingis, Holiday, Derrick White, Tatum, and Jaylen Brown all lead in points at some point. Any of those five can completely cook. Even Al Horford has had some big moments in the playoffs.
Defensive Fortitude
In addition, the Celtics haven’t had to worry about defensive mismatches. However, while the Celtics are a really good defense, it’s unlikely they’ll sustain the success they’ve had on the road.
After all, the Pacers shot consistently against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, despite getting to the foul line. The Mavericks might want to consider playing faster to try and out-score the Celtics. That might be the only way for the Celtics to win a couple of games and potentially win the NBA Finals.
The Pick
None of us are in the huddle or listening to the coaches speak. But the Mavericks will make adjustments and those adjustments will be in the best interest to get this Mavericks team playing well again.
They’ve got way too much offense to continue to struggle on that end of the floor. Speeding up the pace will get them better looks, and it’s something they’ll want to consider at home.
Let’s take the Mavericks at -1.5 and side with the AI Model. It’s hard to imagine this series only going four games.
NBA Pick: Mavericks -1.5 (-110) at Caesars SportsbookÂ
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
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