The Boston Celtics are in the midst of an absolutely dominant postseason run, and they now stand just one win away from sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics built a massive lead in Game 3 and held off a furious comeback from the hosts en route to a 106-99 victory, securing a commanding 3-0 series lead in the process.
Dallas has looked overwhelmed at numerous points in the series, but they still had good chances to win both Games 2 and 3 before ultimately losing both games by single digits.
Now, they’ll try to become the first team in NBA Finals history to come back from a 3-0 deficit, and it starts with putting forth a better effort for all four quarters at home on Friday.
Let’s dive into a few Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks picks for Game 4.
At this point in the series, the outcome is essentially certain. Fans and bettors alike are aware that Boston has displayed itself to be the better team and should wrap this series up within the next couple of games. The only question remains if it’ll be a sweep, or if Dallas can stay alive for one more game.
Despite the fact that they have yet to put forth an elite shooting performance in this series, Boston’s shot profile is still too much for the Mavs. Even without Kristaps Porzingis in Game 3, the Celtics still knocked down 17 threes and have now hit 43 threes for the series compared to just 22 for Dallas.
It helps that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are able to get two feet in the paint on nearly every drive and initiate the “drive and kick” game that Boston is so good at, leading to open threes for the likes of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday or Sam Hauser.
Not only does the math favor Boston, but the Celtics have been able to completely stifle the Dallas role players and make life difficult for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on both ends. The Dallas duo combined for 62 points in the Game 3 loss, but were clearly out of sorts in the second half after getting out to a terrific start in the first two quarters.
Boston hasn’t even played its best basketball yet, so a game where the Celtics should be able to play freely and without any series pressure bodes well for a team on the verge of a championship.
The totals market for this series has been fascinating to witness. In fact, the over has taken sharp action through each of the first three games of this series, only for all three games to finish under the closing total. However, since this number keeps dropping, it makes sense to “buy low” on the over at this number, which is now six points lower than the closing total in Game 1.
Much like the last couple of games in this series, I’m expecting a close contest on Friday. Dallas has fared much better at home on offense this postseason, clearing 100 points in eight of their nine home games.
While they only managed 99 points in Game 3, a large part of that was due to an awful run of form in the third quarter and Luka Doncic fouling out midway through the fourth quarter didn’t help matters.
Dallas has to play with more pace and force in this game if the Mavericks want to generate easier looks and avoid Boston’s stout halfcourt defense.
On the other side, the Celtics are consistently hitting 105+ points in this series, despite having extended stretches in every game where their offense gets bogged down and stuck in the mud.
Both teams should see success here, so Game 4 should finish with Over 211.5 Points.
While his defense has been a major issue for Dallas, Doncic has still been his usual self on offense, particularly in the 1st quarters of these NBA Finals games.
The point guard has repeatedly emphasized the importance of getting off to fast starts this postseason and he’s done so in the Finals, clearing this 1st quarter number in all three games this series.
There’s also the matter of the ongoing injury that Doncic is dealing with, as he typically wears down as these games have gone on, leading to a scoring dropoff after halftime, which we saw in Game 3.
Doncic should once again be motivated to start the proceedings with a bang, especially factoring in the situation. Given that this line has not moved up from the number of 8.5, it’s hard not to go back to the well and back Doncic to clear 8.5 1st quarter points in what is a desperation spot for Dallas.
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Boston Celtics | -105 ML |
Dallas Mavericks | -115 ML |
Spread | DAL -1 |
Total | O/U 211.5 |
Luka Doncic (DAL Mavericks) | O/U 32.5 |
Jayson Tatum (BOS Celtics) | O/U 27.5 |
Kyrie Irving (DAL Mavericks) | O/U 24.5 |
Jaylen Brown (BOS Celtics) | O/U 24.5 |
PJ Washington (DAL Mavericks) | O/U 13.5 |
Derrick White (BOS Celtics) | O/U 15.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.