The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will meet in the 2024 NBA Finals with Boston trying to add the franchise’s 18th banner to the rafters while Dallas looks for its second title in team history. The Celtics enter this series as the No. 1 overall seed and had the best record in the regular season, while the Mavericks are coming in hot after being the top defensive team and overall team over the last month or so of the season.
Here’s a look at some of our favorite series props for the Finals, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Celtics vs. Mavericks series props
Celtic to win Game 1/Celtics to win series (-130)
Boston has won the first game in every playoff series so far, while Dallas is 1-2 in Game 1s. The Celtics got some extended time off and while that could lead to some rust, it also allowed them to get Kristaps Porzingis back closer to 100%. The Mavericks have been able to get back in series after losing openers but I expect the Celtics to be the ones closing this out in the end. Give me Boston to start the series strong and eventually lift that 18th banner.
Over 5.5 games in series (-165)
Every series Boston has played has gone under this total, while Dallas has played in two series over this line. Both teams have been good at recovering from losses, with neither suffering back-to-back defeats in this postseason. The Celtics haven’t lost on the road yet in these playoffs, while the Mavericks are 7-2 away from Dallas in the postseason. That ability to win on the road makes me believe this series will go to at least a sixth game, with a high possibility Game 7 will happen.
Celtics -1.5 games series spread (+100)
This goes a bit against the thinking of a Game 7 but if anyone is going to pull the upper hand in this series early, I believe it’ll be Boston. Many will point to Boston barely scraping past the Pacers in each game of the sweep, but it’s not like the Mavericks were blowing out the Timberwolves and Thunder outside of a few contests. Both teams have won close games but I feel like Boston is more likely to be on the right side of those early in the series. The Celtics are more likely to win this series quicker and by a wider margin than the Mavericks, and I’ve got them winning in six games. I’ll take the series spread line for Boston to double my bet.