Top NBA Odds & Picks: Mavericks vs. Celtics (Game 1)

The National Basketball Association has just two teams left standings. The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics meet in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ABC.

Let’s keep building that bankroll for the final NBA series of the season with our best bets for Thursday, June 6. Here are our top NBA picks for Mavericks vs. Celtics.

Thursday’s Best NBA Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit

Dallas Mavericks (+205) at Boston Celtics (-250) | O/U 215 (-108/-112)

The Mavericks dispatched the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the first round, while sending the Oklahoma City Thunder to the golf course with another series win in six games. The Mavs actually had the easiest time against the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. In addition, Dallas went 4-1 against the spread (ATS) against Minnesota, while going 11-5 ATS in the past 16 postseason games since April 23.

As far as the total is concerned, the Over has hit in five of the past six games after going low in three straight contests from Games 3 to 5 against OKC. The Mavs defense has actually been pretty solid, though, allowing 108 or fewer points in five straight, and eight of the past nine outings.

Boston had amazing defensive numbers during the season, limiting teams to 109.2 PPG to rank 5th in the NBA while holding teams to a 45.3% field-goal percentage, 2nd in the league. The C’s limit teams to 35.2% from behind the 3-point line, too, which ranked 4th in the NBA during the regular season.

The Mavs will have their hands full with the Celtics offense, however. Boston rolled up 120.6 PPG to rank 2nd in the regular season, and it also strokes the trey at a 38.8% pace, also 2nd in the NBA. Dallas has had significant defense in the postseason at times, but during the regular season, the Mavs allowed 115.6 PPG while teams hit field goals at a 47.5% mark, both ranking just 20th in the league. The Mavs also allow teams to hit 36.8% from downtown, 18th in the NBA.

In this series opener, the Celtics are favored by 6.5 points. That’s a tough number, but Boston is the lean at home. However, if you want to beef up your Same Game Parlay experience, simply roll with Boston on the moneyline, and play the Under in Game 1, as these teams shake off the rust of a long layoff while feeling each other out early on.

In addition, looking at the player props, Luka Doncic is a good bet to rack up three or more 3-pointers. His prop number is rather chalky at -550, but it’s a solid play as long as you include it with the Celtics ML and Under play.

Lastly, in a play that is a little more risky than the Doncic prop, let’s roll with Daniel Gafford to Score 10+ points (+160). That’s a fine play either by itself or as part of the SGP. Gafford scored 10 or more points in four of five games against the T-Wolves while going for double-digits in nine of the past 12 playoff outings.

Bet: Celtics Moneyline (-250) & Under 215 (-110) – SGP (+159)

Same-Game Parlay

Leg 1: Celtics Moneyline (-250)
Leg 2: Under 215 Total Points (-110)
Leg 3: Luka Doncic To Record 3+ Made Three-Pointers (-550)
Leg 4: Daniel Gafford To Score 10+ Points (+160)

If you’re building a Same-Game Parlay (SGP), play it safe with Boston straight up in Game 1, while going low on the total. Doncic is a solid play to notch at least three triples, while Gafford is a strong bet to hit double digits. If all four legs end up coming through, you’ll multiply up by more than seven times. Good luck in Game 1!

Parlay Odds: +735

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:

Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.