Mavericks vs Celtics Game 2 Picks, Odds | NBA Finals Prediction

The 2024 NBA Finals continue on Sunday night, with Game 2 of Mavericks vs. Celtics set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Celtics are 7-point favorites on the spread in Sunday's pivotal second matchup, while the total is set at over/under 214.5 total points at DraftKings.

Here's everything you need to know about Game 2 of the NBA Finals between Dallas and Boston -- the latest betting odds, as well as our expert picks and prediction for Sunday, June 9.

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NBA Finals Game 2 Odds

DAL @ BOS Odds

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NBA Finals Game 2 Prediction & Picks

The Celtics ended up winning the first matchup of the NBA Finals by a lopsided final score of 107-89 this past Thursday. However, the final tally certainly doesn’t tell the full story. Game 1 between these teams was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and I’m not quite ready to jump to any drastic conclusions given the way in which Thursday’s opener unfolded.

The Celtics barreled out of the gate to a red-hot start from beyond the arc in Game 1. Boston knocked down 11-of-27 (40.7%) 3-point attempts in the first half, on the way to building a 21-point advantage prior to the midway break – and in theory, if the Celtics managed to replicate long range shooting numbers of that caliber across an entire series, almost any team in NBA history would be in for a sweep.

Fortunately for Dallas, however, it’s very rare to see such a high level of efficiency from downtown, even from the best 3-point shooting team in the league (Boston) – which inevitably came to fruition in the second half of Thursday’s contest, as the Celtics made only 5-of-15 (33.3%) 3-point attempts following the midway break, and the Mavs actually won the second half of Game 1 by a slim 3-point margin (47-44), despite the final score indicating a much wider gap in overall competition level.

For a brief moment, it even seemed like Dallas may come from behind to win the game. After trailing by 27 points early in Game 1, the Mavericks came all the way back to cut the deficit to eight with 3:55 left on the clock in the third quarter. It seemed like everything was finally falling into place for Dallas… Boston’s 3-point variance had reverted to the norm. Tatum seemed flustered offensively. Luka was cooking, as the Mavs’ superstar entered the final stanza with 27 points on 50% from the field. However, Doncic can’t defeat Boston all by himself, which was my main takeaway from Game 1…

Kyrie Irving drew the Jrue Holiday matchup for the majority of Game 1, and Kyrie struggled against him for the most part, as Irving scored only 12 points on 31% from the field in the game, overall. So, with Kyrie clearly having an off-night, the Celtics shifted all of their defensive focus to one place and re-assigned Jrue to Luka in the fourth quarter, and it worked beautifully for Boston, as Doncic saw an immediate drop-off with only three points on 1-of-4 (25%) shooting in the final 12 minutes with Holiday as the primary defender.

Don’t go pointing fingers at Kyrie, though. He got a bunch of good looks, and took them whenever the opportunity presented itself. But, the shots simply weren't falling for him, as Irving finished 3-of-19 from the field in Game 1 – and it’s tough to assign blame to one particular player when the Mavs’ entire offense was terrible in the loss, aside from Luka of course, as Doncic accounted for over 33% of the team’s points on 46.2% from all areas of the floor, while the rest of the rotation scored only 59 points on 39.6% shooting and 3-of-15 from long range (20%).

The Celtics made 38% of their 42 long range attempts in Game 1. However, it wasn’t the usual suspects dishing out the majority of the damage from beyond the arc, as Tatum and Brown shot a combined 5-of-13 from downtown, while the rest of the team knocked down 11-of-29 long range attempts. On the other side of that same coin, this is a Dallas team that is shooting 46.8% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point range in the playoffs. So, with Boston having already lost a pair of home Game 2s in this year’s playoffs (MIA, CLE), and both teams in this series destined to drift back toward the mean moving forward, I’ll back Dallas to win Game 2.

Pick: Mavericks ML (+225)

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NBA Finals Game 2 Time & TV Channel

Date: Sunday, June 9
Matchup: Southwest vs. Atlantic
Venue: TD Garden
Location: Boston, MA
Time-TV: ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Mavericks vs Celtics Betting Stats

1) Boston Celtics
(1st Place, Atlantic)

  • Odds to Win Series: -420
  • SU: 64-18
  • ATS: 43-38-1
  • O/U: 37-44-1
  • PPG: 120.6
  • OPPG: 109.2

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5) Dallas Mavericks
(1st Place, Southwest)

  • Odds to Win Series: +330
  • SU: 50-32
  • ATS: 48-34
  • O/U: 36-45-1
  • PPG: 117.9
  • OPPG: 115.6

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