{"id":1582903,"date":"2024-05-31T14:28:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T18:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1582903"},"modified":"2024-05-31T14:31:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T18:31:54","slug":"celtics-open-2024-nba-finals-as-betting-favorites-over-mavericks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/celtics-open-2024-nba-finals-as-betting-favorites-over-mavericks\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics Open 2024 NBA Finals As Betting Favorites Over Mavericks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Boston Celtics opened as -225 favorites Thursday at ESPN BET ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Offshore sportsbooks<\/a>, such as Bovada and BetOnline, show the Celtics as -210 and -375 favorites as well.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks were listed as +185 underdogs after their series-clinching Game 5 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.<\/p>\n

Boston Celtics open as 6-point favorites over the Dallas Mavericks for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals<\/h2>\n

Boston opened as 6-point favorites over the Mavericks in Game 1, which is scheduled for Thursday, June 6 at TD Garden.<\/p>\n

Celtics star Jayson Tatum is also the betting favorite for Finals MVP at -130 at FanDuel. Mavericks star Luka Doncic has second-best odds at +200, followed by Jaylen Brown (+600) and Kyrie Irving (+2,400).<\/p>\n

Doncic is the first player in NBA history to lead in total points (489), rebounds (164), and assists (150) through the first three rounds of the playoffs. He joins Larry Bird, Nikola Jokic, and LeBron James as the only players to record at least 450 points, 150 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason.<\/p>\n

According to BetOnline, the Celtics began the 2023-24 season with +500 odds to win the championship, the same odds as the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. The Phoenix Suns were third at +650, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks at +700.<\/p>\n

Of course, Dallas began the season as +2500 long shots to win the NBA championship. The team's odds dropped to +5000 at multiple sportsbooks<\/a> in January. The Mavericks had an implied probability of just 2%.<\/p>\n

However, the odds shifted in the Mavs' favor after the trade deadline.<\/p>\n