NBA Finals Preview - Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Best Bets, and Odds

The Dallas Mavericks will be on the road Thursday night for game one of the NBA Finals in Boston. Both teams come into the NBA Finals Thursday night at the top of their games as each have done the work throughout the playoffs to make it this far. Dallas has had the harder road to this point after starting the playoffs with consecutive 6 game series before dispatching of the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Boston has rolled somewhat through the playoffs winning the first and second round by five games before a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals. For other NBA action see our NBA Picks

The Dallas Mavericks have been phenomenal throughout the playoffs led by their backcourt averaging just under 108 points per game overall. Defensively Dallas has done the work as well holding 3 elite offensive teams to less than 104 points per game in the postseason. The Mavericks offense has scored more than 100 points in seven of the last eight including seven in a row.

Luka Doncic is having an MVP caliber playoff run leading The Mavericks averaging 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. Kyrie Irving has been huge for Dallas as well averaging just under 23 points and 5.2 assists per game. Perhaps the most important pieces up to this point for Dallas has been their role players led by PJ Washington averaging 13.6 points per game. Derrick Jones Jr is averaging 9.8 points in the playoffs and shooting just under 40% from beyond the arc..

The Boston Celtics come into the finals as the hottest team in the playoffs with twelve wins and two losses through 14 games played overall. Offensively Boston has been phenomenal averaging 111.3 points per game following their sweep of the Indiana Pacers. Defensively Boston has been top tier as well holding opponents to 101.2 points per game giving them more than a 10 point margin of victory in the postseason.

Jayson Tatum has lived up to the bill throughout the playoffs leading Boston averaging 26 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Jaylen Brown has been nearly as good as Tatum averaging 25 points and more than six rebounds per game. Derrick White is thriving during his bigger minutes averaging 17.8 points per game, while Jrue Holiday has averaged 12.7 points and nearly six rebounds in 14 games played. Al Horford has come up big for Boston in the playoffs averaging 9.9 points and more than 7 rebounds in 14 games including ten starts due to the injury to Kristaps Porzingis.