Kevin Jairaj – USA TODAY SportsSipa USA
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics: NBA Finals – Game 5
The Boston Celtics have a chance to win their first championship in 16 years when they host the Dallas Mavericks for Game 5 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden on Monday.
Can the Mavs take the series back to Dallas?
The Dallas Mavericks lost the first three games of the series but then blow out the Celtics in a 122-84 win. For the fiorst time in the series the Mavs shot over 50% and avoid being swept in the NBA Finals. Luka Doncic scored 29 points followed by Kyrie Irving with 21. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 15 points coming off the bench. Doncic is the Mavs leading scorer in the playoffs averaging 28.9 points per game while Irving is at 22.5.
The Celtics are one step away from the championship
The Boston Celtics took a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals and what followed was the biggest playoff loss in franchise history. The Celtics shot only 36.3% from the field and were down by 26 at halftime. Jayson Tatum was the Celtics leading scorer with 15 points and Sam Hauser added 14 off the bench. Tatum is averaging 24.7 points per game in the playoffs and Jaylen Brown has 24.1.
Betting Trends
The Celtics are 10-1 SU in the last 11 games overall, 5-0 SU in the last 5 home games, and 8-2 SU in the last 10 home games against Dallas. Boston is 1-4 ATS in the last five games played on Monday and 2-6-1 ATS in the last 9 games as favorite. They have played under the total point line in their last five games overall, 6 of the last 7 games against Dallas, 5 of the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference and 5 of the last 6 games against teams from the Southwest Division. The Mavericks are 2-4 SU in the lst 6 games overall and 1-5 SU in the last 6 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. Dallas is 1-6-1 ATS in the last 8 games against Boston and 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 games on the road. They have played under the total point line in 5 of their last 6 games overall, the last six against teams from the Eastern Conference and in 6 of the last 7 games played in June.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Boston Celtics had full control of the series, and it seemed like they would sweep the Mavs to become the first team in NBA history to sweep both the conference and the NBA Finals. However, the Mavs refused to end the season and played their best game of the series, dominating the Celtics. Now the series moves back to Boston, and despite the Mavs having the momentum, the Celtics still have the series lead and a chance to win the 18th championship in franchise history. After a poor shooting night, the Celtics will be on top of their game in this one and win the game by covering the -6.5-point spread.
