Celtics at Mavericks Preview: 3 Player Props & Best Bet for Game 4

The NBA season has potentially one game remaining as the Boston Celtics – who enjoy a 3-0 lead in the series – head south to take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, June 14.

Boston needs only one win to secure the NBA title for a record 18th time in the team’s history. The Celtics have relied on their big-time stars – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – to make a potential championship a reality.

Dallas will attempt to become the first team ever to win a series after trailing 3-0. The Mavericks made a surprise run as the Western Conference’s fifth seed, shocking the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves en route to the franchise’s third Finals appearance.

Can Dallas force a Game 5 in Boston by winning tonight’s contest? We’ll cover our top three NBA Finals player prop bets as well as our best bet for the Celtics versus the Mavericks matchup.

Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic OVER 32.5 Points

Dallas nearly erased a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit with a furious comeback on Wednesday. The Mavericks relied on guard Kyrie Irving and forward P.J. Washington to creep within a single point of the Celtics in Game 3.

Surprisingly, star guard Luka Doncic was quiet during that comeback, scoring only two points during the Mavericks’ 22-2 run. Doncic led the NBA in scoring this season, but the postseason has been a different animal.

In the Western Conference playoffs as well as the Finals, Doncic has eclipsed 32 points in only five of the team’s 20 games. With his back against the wall, expect the foreign-born superstar to make it six times tonight.

Boston Celtics’ Derrick White UNDER 3.5 3-Point Field Goals

While the defense has been the Celtics’ calling card all season, Boston’s offense is pretty good, too. The Celtics have scored over 110 points per contest in the postseason despite missing center Kristaps Porzingis for most of the previous two series.

Much of that success is due to the team’s 36.3 percent shooting from long range during their magnificent playoff run. In the series, Boston has shot a respectable 33 percent from behind the three-point line, nailing 43 triples in the series.

Yet Celtics guard Derrick White has performed better, knocking down 11-of-36 for nearly 41 percent from behind the arc. Expect White to continue his hot shooting tonight, but do not expect him to have four three-point field goals for the third consecutive game.

Dallas Mavericks’ P.J. Washington OVER 6.5 Rebounds

Dallas knew what it was getting when the team acquired P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets this season. The 6-foot-7 power forward has posted some of his personal bests as a Maverick, recording 6.2 rebounds per game during the regular season and 6.9 during the team’s postseason run.

In 20 games this postseason, Washington has eclipsed the 6.5-mark in half of those. And in the past 11 games, Washington has recorded seven or more rebounds eight times.

Expect Washington to record at least seven rebounds again on Friday night in Game 3 of the Finals to cover this player prop bet.

Best Bet: Mavericks +1

While Dallas does not have a chance to win this series, earning at least one victory will be important to the franchise. Luka may look like he’s out of gas, but I’m expecting a large effort from him in this one!

Expect the Mavericks to leave everything on the floor and win Game 4 at home. Take Dallas plus the point here! Good luck!