The Boston Celtics will look to close out their record 18th NBA championship when they take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday. The Celtics held off a late charge on Wednesday to secure a 106-99 win to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. The Celtics (64-18), who are 15-2 in the 2024 NBA playoffs, have won 10 playoff games in a row. The Mavericks (50-32), who won the Southwest Division and earned the fifth seed in the West, are 12-8 during the 2024 playoffs. Boston leads the all-time series 49-40, including a 3-0 edge during the postseason.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Boston is the 1.5-point favorite in the latest Celtics vs. Mavericks odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 211.5. Before making any Mavericks vs. Celtics picks, be sure to check out what legendary SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall has to say.
Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famous betting newsletter, for years and his 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 is working on several book projects. Marshall has crushed his NBA picks this season for SportsLine members, entering this matchup on a 196-146-3 run that has returned nearly $3,600 for $100 players. Anybody following is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Celtics vs. Mavericks and just locked in his picks and NBA Finals predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Celtics vs. Mavericks:
- Mavericks vs. Celtics spread: Boston -1.5
- Mavericks vs. Celtics over/under: 211.5 points
- Mavericks vs. Celtics money line: Boston -113, Dallas -109
- BOS: The Celtics have hit the fourth-quarter Under in 63 of their last 92 games (+30.80 units)
- DAL: The Mavericks have hit the second-quarter Under in 47 of their last 73 games (+18.35 units)
- Mavericks vs. Celtics picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Mavericks can cover
Point guard Luka Doncic poured in 27 points and added six boards and six assists in Wednesday’s Game 3 loss. Doncic has been on fire this postseason, and has two triple-doubles over the past five games. He had a 30-plus point streak end at three games, but has surpassed the 30-point total 10 times this postseason. In 20 playoff games, all starts, Doncic is averaging 28.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 41.2 minutes of action.
Also providing an offensive spark is point guard Kyrie Irving, who has reached double-digit scoring in 10 consecutive games. He finished with 35 points, three rebounds and two assists on Wednesday. In the Game 2 loss at Boston on Sunday, Irving scored 16 points and added six assists and two rebounds in 41 minutes. He has played well against Boston this season. During the regular season, he averaged 21 points and five rebounds in the two meetings. In 20 postseason games, all starts, Irving is averaging 22.6 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 40.4 minutes. See which team to pick here.
Why the Celtics can cover
Small forward Jayson Tatum helped make up for the loss of center Kristaps Porzingis, who missed Game 3 due to injury and is again listed as questionable. Tatum poured in 31 points, while adding six rebounds and five assists. Prior to that, he had posted four consecutive double-doubles in a row, including 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in Game 2. He had 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one block in the series opener. He has played well against Dallas and in two regular-season games this year, he averaged 35.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, four assists, 1.5 steals and one block.
Point guard Jrue Holiday continues to come up big when Boston needs him most. In Game 3, he scored nine points, while adding five assists and four rebounds. He recorded a double-double in the 105-98 Game 2 victory, scoring 26 points, while adding 11 rebounds and three assists. In 17 playoff starts, Holiday is averaging 13.2 points, six rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 38.1 minutes. See which team to pick here.
How to make Celtics vs. Mavericks picks
Marshall is leaning Under on the point total. He has also identified a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can only see his NBA picks and analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Mavericks vs. Celtics in Game 4 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 nearly $3,600 on his NBA picks this season, and find out.
