Could this finally be the year they do it? Will the Boston Celtics not drop the ball this season and get over the hump and capture the NBA Championship? If the first two games of the NBA Finals are any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. Here are your NBA Finals Game 3 betting odds & picks. Go here for the latest NBA odds.
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NBA Finals Game 3 Betting Odds & Picks
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks
Tipoff – Wednesday, 8:30 pm EST
TV: ABC
Spread: Celtics -1.5
Total: 212.5
Sunday’s Game 2 was right there for the taking for the visiting Dallas Mavericks. The Boston Celtics only shot 10-39 from three-point range in the game, and Jayson Tatum had another poor shooting night, going 6-22 from the floor (he’s now 12-38 through two games). And Dallas did make a couple of runs that had observers flashing back to the Celtics’ failures of the past, but this Boston team seems to be just too good and too deep this go around.
Boston is so deep that they can survive the aforementioned poor shooting from their top scorer, Tatum, and still cruise to two victories in the series. They are so deep with talent that while Kristaps Porzingis re-injuring himself on Sunday (he says he will be good to go on Wednesday) is a mild, but not fatal, concern. They’re so deep that a player probably overlooked heading into the series – Jrue Holiday – has been their best player in the Finals thus far.
Dallas’ cause has not been helped by Kyrie Irving being absolutely abysmal in his return to Boston, nor is it by superstar Luka Doncic seemingly picking up new injuries by the day. Will a return to the familiar confines of American Airlines Center in Dallas fix all that has gone wrong for the Mavericks in this series?
I wouldn’t count on it. Boston was not only the best team in the NBA this season, not only the best home team but also the best team on the road. Boston is also a perfect 6-0 on the road in the 2024 playoffs, and Dallas has already dropped three of their eight home playoff games. And we get Boston plus points for Game 3, to boot.
So, I like Boston plus the points, and I’m also sprinkling on the under for the total. Game 1 ended with 196 points scored; Game 2 ended with 203. Boston’s suffocating defense has yet to allow the Mavericks to crack 100 points in a game.
Best Bets: Celtics +2 (-110); Celtics/Mavericks Under 213 (-110)
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