Following a week-long hiatus, the NBA will return on June 6 with Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. The championship series will begin in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Celtics will begin their home-court advantage as the no. 1 overall seed of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.
Coverage of Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET locally exclusively broadcasted on ABC. As usual, Mike Breen will be the head play-by-play commentator but will be joined by Doris Burke and JJ Redick for the first time.
2024 NBA Finals Game 1 Details
Through a mix of talent and good fortune, the Boston Celtics glided through the Eastern Conference playoffs without much of a sweat. The no. 1 seed from the Eastern Conference has yet to play more than five games, dominating each of the short-handed Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
Dallas experienced a much more treacherous path to winning the Western Conference but appeared to be equally as dominant as Boston in the Conference Finals. Behind the elite backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving — one that Stan Van Gundy has called the best offensive backcourt of all time — the Mavericks overwhelmed the top-ranked defense of Minnesota to earn their way into the NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Odds
Favored to win the series overall, Boston will enter Game 1 as 6.5-point favorites on their home court. With the Celtics favored to win the championship, Jayson Tatum is a correlating lead in sportsbooks to win his first Finals MVP award.
Game odds are subject to change. Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 4.
Team |
Spread |
Total |
MoneyLine |
| Boston Celtics | -6.5 | O 214.5 (-110) | -230 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +6.5 | U 214.5 (-110) | +190 |
**Odds Subject to Change** |
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Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Match Details
- Fixture: Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals
-
Date and Time: June 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
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Location: Boston TD Garden
Apex Tale of the Tape
| Boston Celtics | vs. | Dallas Mavericks |
| 64-18 (Regular season) | Record | 50-32 (Regular season) |
| 111.4 | Points Per Game | 107.9 |
| 36.8 | 3PT% | 37.2 |
| 79.7 | FT% | 72.8 |
| 9.9 | OREB Per Game | 11.4 |
| 101.3 | Points Allowed Per Game | 103.9 |
| 23.7 | Assists Per Game | 22.4 |
| 46.7 | Defensive FG% | 44.5 |
| 33.8 | Defensive 3PT% | 35.6 |
| 5.4 | Blocks Per Game | 6.2 |
| 33.8 | DREB Per Game | 31.7 |
| 92.45 | Pace | 93.62 |
2024 NBA Finals Game 1 Analysis
While Boston has been dominant thus far, a lot has been made of their lack of healthy competition and frequent underwhelming performances. But to this point in the 2024 playoffs, the Celtics are 3-0 in Game 1 situations, winning by an average of 16.7 points.
Despite their cakewalk to the Finals, Boston is seemingly yet to put everything together in the postseason. Their defense has been solid but offensively, the fluidity that was consistent throughout the regular season has not been there.
Much of their “struggles” involve Kristaps Porzingis being out since Game 4 of their opening series. Porzingis is expected to return for Game 1 for the first time in over a month.
2024 NBA Finals Game 1 Best Bet
Like many teams in the modern NBA, Dallas finds most of their points from the three-point line. Everything starts with Luka Doncic, whether it be his scoring or distributing. In the regular season, Boston was second in the league at limiting opponent three-point offense, allowing just 35 percent from behind the arc. That number has decreased in the playoffs to 34 percent.
In the two meetings between these teams in the regular season, Boston went 2-0, winning by 28 and nine points, respectively. Per StatMuse, in games when Boston has entered with three or more days of rest, they are 3-0 SU and ATS on the year.
Since the odds have opened, VegasInsider reports that 73 percent of public money has come in on the points with the underdog. This is a great spot to fade the public.
Best bet: Boston Celtics -6.5
About the Author
Jaren Kawada is a freelance sports writer from Indianapolis, Indiana by way of Honolulu, Hawaii with a strong passion for MMA and sports betting. Kawada has also written for Sportskeeda MMA, FanSided MMA, and BetSided as a combat sports analyst. Follow on X/Twitter at @jarenkawada1 or on Instagram at @kawadajaren.
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