NBA Finals Expert Picks Tonight: Mavericks vs. Celtics Game 2 | Odds Shark (2024)

OurNBAteam of Chris Walder, Nick Holz, and David Caraviello is here throughout the 2024 Finals between theBoston CelticsandDallas Mavericksoffering up their moneyline, spread, and total expert picks, with the series continuing on Sunday night for Game 2 at TD Garden.

Let's take a look at all of their picks as Boston looks to take the first two games on its home floor.

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics Game 2 Preview & Picks

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Christopher Walder's Pick: Boston Celtics ATS -6.5 (-110)

The odds aren't in Dallas' favor to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy at this rate, as only seven teams (including the Mavericks) have ever qualified for the Finals after advancing as an underdog in both the conference semifinals and conference finals, with the Houston Rockets in 1995 the only team of the bunch to actually capture a title. Dallas then suffered the worst deficit at the end of a first quarter in Finals history in the opener in Boston, and the worst halftime deficit since the 2020 Finals after trailing by as many as 29 points.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, the away team in a Game 2 of the Finals is just 2-6 SU and 2-5-1 ATS since 2016, although the Miami Heat did beat the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in last year's matchup.

Dallas is also just 2-5 SU and 3-4 ATS since February of this year when coming off a loss of at least 15 points. Of those five defeats, three were by double digits. Simply put, based on the trends, if the Mavericks are going to make a series of this, they'll need to do so at the American Airlines Center. The Celtics fed off of the raucous Beantown crowd and were invigorated both offensively and defensively by the presence of a returning Kristaps Porzingis. With Kyrie Irving also kept in check, this could be another blowout result in the making.

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Christopher Walder's Pick: UNDER 214.5 Total Points (-110)

Since the 2003 Finals when a Game 1 was determined by 15 points or more, in the following Game 2, the UNDER has hit four out of a possible six times.

A 107-89 total score in Game 1 between Boston and Dallas was an easy UNDER after oddsmakers also had the total set at 214.5 points. The Mavericks' offense was stagnant and relied heavily on whatever Luka Doncic could create for himself and his teammates, leading the way with 30 points when no one else on the team had more than 14.

I'm also using the word "create" very loosely here, as well, as Dallas registered only nine assists as a unit, which was the fewest in a Finals game since the 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers. As dominant as the Celtics were, they only scored 107 points which is basically half of what's needed to reach the OVER.

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David Caraviello's Pick: Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110)

The Mavericks are the better road team and the far better team in the playoffs against the spread, but the Celtics’ 13-2 outright postseason mark entering Sunday night is tough to ignore. The return of Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis in the Finals opener seemed like a game-changer, with Dallas looking helpless in the paint. The Celtics have won their past two home playoff games by 18 and 16 points, respectively, and we’re going to need to see more out of Dallas on Sunday to be convinced this series is capable of going the distance.

Nick Holz's Pick: Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110)

Galvanized by their home crowd, the Celtics raced out to an early lead in Game 1 and never looked back. The NBA Finals betting trends all point to things going Boston's way in Game 2.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, bad shooting games have carried over in recent Finals history, with teams shooting 41% or less going 6-14 SU and ATS in their next contest. Additionally, home favorites are a sparkling 6-2 SU and 5-2-1 ATS over the last eight years.

On top of all that, teams that endure a double-digit defeat are just 10-19 SU and 9-18-2 ATS in the follow-up game of late. I'll forever be appreciative of this Mavericks team for cashing my Western Conference futures. But, it's tough to back them against this behemoth squad from Beantown. Take the Celtics to cover again in Game 2.