Although the Boston Celtics won the first two games of the NBA Finals, there’s still hope for the Dallas Mavericks,
For one, the Mavericks will get two home games to claw back into the series. Secondly, it’s unlikely Kristaps Porzingis will play. He suffered a “rare” leg injury and is now questionable for Game 3. However, multiple doctors on “X” believe there’s no chance he plays.
The Celtics also described Porzingis’ injury as “serious.”
Therefore, the Mavericks have some potential heading into Game 3. Here are our top NBA Finals picks ahead of Game 3 between the Mavericks and Celtics.
Wednesday’s Top NBA Finals Game 3 Picks
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks (Spread)
While the Boston Celtics have been terrific defensively, the offense hasn’t been elite in the NBA Finals. After all, the Celtics only scored 105 points in Game 2 and added a 50% effective field goal percentage with just 110.9 points per 100 possessions.
Boston got to the foul line at a high rate but also added just 23.4% of offensive rebounds. It felt like the Mavericks outplayed the Celtics for most of the game. However, Luka Doncic put the loss on himself, pointing to his missed free throws and turnovers as being the difference.
Ultimately, the turnovers were a major reason for the loss. The Mavericks lost the ball more than 16% of the time in Game 2. Therefore, the Celtics got more shot attempts. Boston didn’t shoot better overall. The Celtics also didn’t get to the foul line more than Dallas.
The Mavericks even added two more rebounds and scored eight more points in the paint than Boston.
If Dallas can limit turnovers in Game 3 and shoot just a little better than Boston in tonight’s game, the Mavericks will win.
NBA Pick: Dallas Mavericks ML (-135)
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks (Total)
After the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers, many forgot how good Boston’s defense could be. The Celtics struggled against a fast-paced Indiana offense but haven’t had any issues defending the Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
The Mavericks have been held to no more than 105.4 points per 100 possessions and have ultimately shot no better than a 51.2% effective field goal percentage in either game.
However, you’d have to imagine the Mavericks making adjustments to get the offense going. If Dallas plays faster and gets quicker and easier looks, the Mavericks can score the ball just as well as the Pacers did against the Celtics.
Of course, the Pacers didn’t get the outcome they wanted in the last series, but Indiana made the series enjoyable and close throughout.
If the Mavericks push the pace at home, there will be more points in tonight’s Game 3. Ultimately, before Porzingis came back, the Celtics hadn’t had a game with less than 118.7 points per 100 possessions since the loss to the Celtics. Yet, in Game 2, the Celtics scored 110.9 points per 100 possessions and were weak on the glass.
The Celtics should have some offensive success in tonight’s game, too.
NBA Pick: Over 213 (-110)
