After stumbling in Game 4, the Boston Celtics return home and have a chance to clinch their record 18th championship when they battle the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024 NBA Finals on Monday. Dallas dominated on Friday, posting a 122-84 win. The Mavericks (50-32), who won the Southwest Division, are 7-4 on the road during the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Celtics (64-18), the top seed in the Eastern Conference and champions of the Atlantic Division, are 8-2 on their home floor during the playoffs.
The game from TD Garden in Boston will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Celtics are averaging an NBA fourth-best 108.9 points per game this postseason, while the Mavericks average 106.8, seventh-best. The Celtics are 6.5-point favorites in the latest Mavericks vs. Celtics odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 209.5. Before making any Celtics vs. Mavericks picks, be sure to check out what legendary SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall has to say.
Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famous betting newsletter, for years and his vast array of editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects. Marshall has crushed his NBA picks this season for SportsLine members, entering this matchup on a 197-146-3 run that has returned nearly $3,700 for $100 players. Anybody following is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Celtics vs. Mavericks and locked in his picks and NBA Finals predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Mavericks vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Mavericks spread: Boston -6.5
- Celtics vs. Mavericks over/under: 209.5 points
- Celtics vs. Mavericks money line: Boston -267, Dallas +217
- DAL: The Mavericks have hit the second-quarter Under in 48 of their last 74 games (+19.35 units)
- BOS: The Celtics have hit the fourth-quarter Under in 63 of their last 93 games (+29.70 units)
- Celtics vs. Mavericks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Celtics can cover
Derrick White had an eight-game streak of reaching double-digit scoring snapped in Game 4, but has scored in double figures in 16 of 18 postseason games. He had a playoff-high 38 points in a first-round win at Miami on April 29, and had 25 points twice, the last coming in a 120-95 Eastern Conference semifinals Game 1 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 7. In 18 playoff games, he is averaging 16.9 points, 4.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 35.4 minutes. White is connecting on 45.5% of his field goals, including 39.9% from 3-point range, and 91.7% from the free-throw line.
Jrue Holiday is one win away from earning his second championship in four years, after being a member of the 2020-2021 champion Milwaukee Bucks. That experience has proven big in helping Boston jump out to the 3-1 lead in the series. He is averaging 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the series. In Game 2, Holiday registered a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. In 18 postseason games, all starts, he is averaging 13.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 37.6 minutes. See which team to pick here.
Why the Mavericks can cover
With everything on the line in Game 4, guard Luka Doncic responded with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Doncic has scored no fewer than 27 points in the series and has registered one double-double and one triple-double in the NBA Finals. In Game 2, he poured in 32 points, while adding 11 boards and 11 assists. In 21 postseason starts, Doncic is averaging 28.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 40.8 minutes.
Guard Kyrie Irving reached double-digit scoring for the 11th consecutive game in Friday's win. In 31 minutes of action, he scored 21 points, added six assists and four rebounds. He has played well against Boston, averaging 21 points, four assists and three rebounds in the series. In 21 playoff starts, Irving is averaging 22.5 points, five assists, 3.7 rebounds and one steal in 39.9 minutes. See which team to pick here.
How to make Celtics vs. Mavericks picks
Marshall is leaning Over on the point total. He has also identified a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can only see his NBA picks and analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Mavericks vs. Celtics in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Mavericks spread to jump on, all from the expert who has returned nearly $3,700 on his NBA picks this season, and find out.
