2024 NBA Finals Game 1 Betting Picks: Boston Celtics Spread, Dallas Mavericks Player Props, & More

Rejoice: After the NBA’s self-imposed weeklong layoff, the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are finally ready to tip off the NBA Finals.

A (hopefully) seven-game showdown pitting Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving is red meat for the sports betting public.

Every journey starts with a single step, so let’s focus on Game 1 today. Here are three bets worth considering for Thursday night’s series opener.

Boston Celtics to cover -6.5 (-110 at BetMGM, FanDuel)

This one doesn’t require much overthinking. We’ve been treated to an abundance of close playoff games in recent weeks -- well, at least out of the West -- but the Celtics are favored at -225 to win this series for a reason. They’re the better team top to bottom, they were hardly tested throughout the Eastern Conference bracket and they’ve had a week for Tatum and Brown to rest and heal up.

Don’t get us wrong, Dallas is dangerous enough to make the series close. That’s just unlikely to start in Game 1 in a raucous TD Garden. The Celtics swept the two-game season series with the Mavericks, including a 138-110 pounding at home in March. A Boston win by at least seven points isn’t hard to see coming.

Jaylen Brown to make 3+ 3-pointers (+125 at BetMGM)

Brown was hot and cold from the arc during the Eastern Conference Finals, but he didn’t need to hit as many threes with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and 76-year-old Al Horford stepping up from long range.

That said, there’s something you should know about Brown’s 3-point tendencies. He’s made them at a far better clip at home than on the road this year. During the regular season, Brown knocked down 39.5 percent of his triples at TD Garden and just 31.6 percent away from home. He made at least three 3-pointers in five of his final seven regular-season home games, and he’s hit that mark in four of eight playoff games at home. And packing the paint has been Dallas’ specialty more than defending the perimeter.

Thanks to BetMGM’s “alternate player prop” options, you can turn up the dial on Brown’s over/under and bet on him to drain at least three from three.

If you’re concerned about Boston’s defense or general superiority, note that Doncic posted triple-doubles in both meetings with the Celtics in the regular season -- 33 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists at home; 37 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists on the road -- and Boston still won both games.

Luka Doncic to record a triple-double (+390 at FanDuel)

Apart from the handful of hardcore, professional sports bettors among us, why are you placing wagers on sports if not to have a little fun? And what’s more fun than rooting for one of the league’s most electric players to rack up the rebounds and assists he needs for that elusive triple-double?

Except with Doncic, it’s not elusive in the slightest. He’s followed up his 21 triple-doubles in the regular season by notching six in the playoffs, including five in his last eight games. As long as his Mavericks teammates are knocking down shots the way they were by the end of the Western Conference Finals, the Slovenian star should have no shortage of assist opportunities.