The NBA Finals are headed to Texas on Wednesday night, as the Boston Celtics seek a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics cruised past the Mavericks in a 107-89 Game 1 rout to easily cover as consensus 6.5-point favorites. Dallas fell into a 29-point hole in the series opener before cutting the deficit to eight points in the third quarter, but Boston pulled away from there.
The Mavericks put up a better showing in Game 2, leading after the first quarter before trailing at halftime. The Celtics held off Dallas, 105-98, to take the 2-0 series lead, holding the Mavs to 6-of-26 shooting from 3-point range.
Former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has yet to hit a 3-pointer in this series, misfiring on all eight attempts from downtown while averaging 14 points per game.
Heading into Game 3 at American Airlines Center, Irving's 3-pointers made prop is listed on most mobile betting apps at 2.5, and the over is set at -120. Irving shot lights-out from long distance in the first round against the Clippers by drilling at least three triples in five of his six games, but he’s been limited to two treys or fewer in eight of the last 13 contests.
Staying on the Dallas side for player props, Irving's running mate, Luka Doncic, has nearly been an automatic over play on rebounds during the playoffs. His rebounding prop is listed at 9.5 in Game 3, and the Mavericks' All-Star guard has reached double-digit boards in 10 of the past 12 contests.
Will Holiday Stay Hot?
On the Boston side, guard Jrue Holiday is coming off a spectacular offensive showing in Game 2, putting up 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Holiday's points prop closed at 12.5 on Sunday, and the Game 3 prop remains at 12.5 despite Game 2 being his second-best scoring contest of the entire season.
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Kristaps Porzingis looks to be a go in Game 3 after getting tangled up on a rebound late in Game 2 and exiting the contest. Porzingis scored 20 points in the series opener before posting 12 points in Game 2. Despite the downtick in scoring, his return after missing the last two rounds has been huge for Boston.
The Celtics have not been listed as an underdog in the playoffs, but the Mavericks are slight home favorites in Game 3. Boston owns a 1-2 record both straight up and against the spread as a 'dog this season, although two of those games came with no rest in the regular season.
The Mavericks are 5-5 against the spread in the postseason in the favorite role, which includes four outright losses when laying points.
Boston has posted a perfect 6-0 record in the first quarter of road playoff games this postseason, but it was a substantial favorite each time. Now, getting the Celtics in basically a pick’em spot or +1 in the first quarter in Game 3 is a great look considering their solid starts away from TD Garden.
Boston's Jayson Tatum remains the betting favorite for NBA Finals MVP at +140, followed by teammate Jaylen Brown at +150. However, if Holiday can put up one or two more solid scoring outputs, he’s worth a strong look at Finals MVP at 6/1.
Doncic sits at +650 odds for MVP, as Dallas will likely have to win the series for him to capture this award. The Mavs are at +640 to rally back and grab the title, so that may be the better way to go instead of Doncic for MVP, which is no guarantee if Irving rebounds and puts together a few solid games.