The NBA Finals are here! Game 1 is scheduled for Friday morning (AEST) with the Boston Celtics set to play host to the Dallas Mavericks at the TD Garden. Both clubs have had plenty of time to rest up for the series opener, and it’ll be fascinating to see how it plays out.
We bring you our best bet and Same Game Multi for Game 1 below, and be sure to head over to our NBA Tips page regularly as we’ll be providing full betting previews for each and every game of the NBA Finals!
2023-24 NBA Finals Betting Tips
Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics
TD Garden, Friday 10:30am AEST
Series score: 0-0
The Boston Celtics finished the regular season with the best record by some way (64-18) and have had one of the easiest paths to the NBA Finals in history. They’ve dropped only two games through three series and most recently swept the Pacers.
The downside to their easy run is they’re yet to be tested against a quality team at full strength. All three of their playoffs’ opponents were without their best player for at least two games during their matchup, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against a team firing on all cylinders.
The Dallas Mavericks weren’t touted as a serious championship contender for the majority of the regular season, although that’s quickly changed on the back of their form over the past couple of months.
The Mavericks made some savvy moves at the trade deadline to acquire key pieces in Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington, both of whom have seamlessly fit into Jason Kidd’s system. But most importantly, both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have had a good run of health, and both have been equally impressive during this playoff run.
Game 1 Prediction: Kristaps Porzingis has recently been confirmed as a starter for the Celtics in Game 1, which is big news considering he’s missed their past 10 playoff games. In my opinion, his inclusion could prove to be more of a hindrance than a help in Game 1, as the Celtics have gotten used to playing without him, and there’ll need to be an adjustment made to their already winning formula to accommodate him. Yes, Porzingis is a great player and the Celtics are better with him over the long term, but I suspect there could be some chemistry issues on Friday.
As stated in my full NBA Finals Series Preview I’m a big believer in the Mavericks ability to cause an upset and win the championship, and if they’re to do that they’ll likely need to steal home court advantage with a win in Bostin in Game 1 or 2. So with that in mind, I’ll be backing the Mavericks the secure the win on Friday.
Dallas Mavericks to Win
$3 (1 Unit)
Same Game Multi
The easiest way to place your Same Game Multi is to click on the BoomBet BetShare button below! This will add our SGM selections straight into your BoomBet bet slip! You can then enter how much you wish to wager and with one click, your bet has been placed!
Luka Doncic 35+ Points – I expect Doncic to come out swinging in Game 1. He’ll log 40+ minutes and should put up some big numbers.
Jayson Tatum 25+ Points – Tatum will want to make a statement in Game 1 of the Finals after a poor Finals series in 2021-22. I expect him to take a ton of shots.
Derrick White 1+ Steal – Will be in the lanes all game as a help defender and should get at least one steal.
SGM Odds: $4.50 at BoomBet
