2024 NBA Finals odds, line, Game 1 time: Mavericks vs. Celtics picks, predictions, best bets from NBA expert

The Boston Celtics continue their quest toward their first championship in 16 years on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. The top-seeded Celtics, who notched an NBA-best 64 wins in the regular season, coasted to the Eastern Conference title with relative ease, sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals. The resurgent Mavericks built on a late-season surge to earn the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and have continued to improve during a 12-5 postseason run in which they never lost more than two games in a series. Their 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals provided their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011.

Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden. Boston is a 6.5-point favorite and the over/under for total points scored is 214.5 in the latest Celtics vs. Mavericks odds from the SportsLine consensus. Before making any Mavericks vs. Celtics picks for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, be sure to check out what legendary handicapper Bruce Marshall has to say.

Marshall, who for years was synonymous with the Gold Sheet, a famed sports betting newsletter, is an in-demand guest on numerous sports talk radio and TV shows across the country. Marshall’s vast array of editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets.

He has won various handicapping titles and also has emerged as a top analyst for SportsLine. Marshall has crushed his NBA picks this season for SportsLine members, entering this matchup on a 196-144 run that has returned more than $3,800 for $100 players. Anyone following him already has seen massive returns.

Now, he has set his sights on Mavericks vs. Celtics and locked in his picks and NBA Finals predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Celtics vs. Mavericks:

• Mavericks vs. Celtics point spread: Celtics -6.5
• Mavericks vs. Celtics over/under: 214.5 points
• Mavericks vs. Celtics money line: Celtics -250, Mavs +205
• DAL: The Mavericks are 11-6 against the spread in the 2024 NBA playoffs.
• BOS: The Celtics are 31-23-3 ATS as a favorite of 6.5 or more points this season.
• Mavericks vs. Celtics picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Celtics can cover

The Celtics appeared to be a step ahead of the rest of the NBA during the regular season, and their performance in the 2024 NBA playoffs has essentially served as an extension of this dynamic. Behind the most efficient offense in NBA history, they have bludgeoned the opposition with superior talent and a relentless pace that few opponents have matched. Moreover, they also have made clutch plays when they mattered most. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers appeared to have a Game 1 upset wrapped up before the Celtics forced a turnover inside of 10 seconds and tied the game on a memorable corner 3-pointer from Jaylen Brown before dominating the overtime.

What’s more, the short-handed Pacers, who were without star Tyrese Haliburton for the last two games of the series, built double-figure leads in each of their home games only to see the resilient Celtics push through and win both contests by three points. Jayson Tatum has done much to change his reputation as a regular-season star who can’t handle the bright lights of the playoffs. He is averaging 26 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the 2024 NBA playoffs. See which team to pick here.

Why the Mavericks can cover

Dallas’ trade-deadline acquisitions of both versatile forward P.J. Washington and defensive stalwart Daniel Gafford have been an enormous boost, as both have repeatedly come up big in the postseason. In addition, the insertion of journeyman Derrick Jones Jr. into the starting lineup was a catalyst behind Dallas leading the NBA in defensive efficiency for the last month-plus of the season.

The late evolution of perhaps the best supporting cast in the NBA served as a buffer for the emergence of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as one of the most dominant backcourts in playoff history. The playmakers have alternated taking over games in clutch time during the playoffs, and such an effort wasn’t necessary as they led wire to wire in their 124-103 Game 5 closeout win over the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Doncic is averaging nearly a triple-double in the postseason, with averages of 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Irving is putting up 22.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. See which team to pick here.

How to make Celtics vs. Mavericks picks

Marshall is leaning Over on the point total. He has also identified a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.

So who wins Mavericks vs. Celtics in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Mavericks spread to jump on, all from the expert who has returned more than $3,800 on his NBA picks this seasonand find out.