Only Western Conference opponents have won at TD Garden this season, but could Dallas join that list? The Mavericks and Celtics conclude their regular season series tonight at 7:30pm ET on ESPN. To make things a little more interesting, we ran a Same Game Parlay.
Please visit Recommended NBA players A page with side and total predictions for Friday's remaining games, including part 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls doubleheader.
So let’s take a closer look at my SGP bet!
DAL Mavericks +9.5 points spread (-110)
Kristaps Porzingis, 1.5+ threes (-184)
Jaylen Brown 22.5 points or more (-106)
Same game parlay odds: +488
DAL Mavericks +9.5 points spread (-110)
Dallas ends a four-game road trip tonight in Boston against the best team in the league, and I think they can keep this game close. I know the numbers here have a lot to do with the Celtics winning, but I have faith in Luka Doncic. On Wednesday, he celebrated his 25th birthday with an impressive performance of 30 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists in an 11-point win over Toronto. Before that game, the Mavs suffered a blowout loss against Cleveland on a buzzer-beater from half court, but at some point luck has to turn around.
The Celtics picked up where they left off before the All-Star break, winning all three games after the break by double digits. They also won their first matchup of the season on the road by nine points, but they didn't do much as Doncic filled the stat sheet with 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists. Kyrie Irving always stands up and plays against his former team, but tonight, after hearing the boos from the fans at TD Garden, I wouldn't expect anything less. Dallas is 8-2 SU/ATS in the last 10 meetings and 10-4 ATS in the last 14 visits to Boston. I have them covered as a 9.5 point underdog.
Kristaps Porzingis, 1.5+ threes (-184)
Supporting Porzingis to drain a pair of threes in a game is one of my favorite bets this season. The Latvian had a near-perfect February, making two threes in all but two games. He finished the month shooting 41.9% from downtown, which is very impressive for a player his size. Playing with his former team has always been a motivating factor for KP, who has averaged 23.6 points per game in his past five games with the Mavs, making at least two threes in all but one of those games. It's stealing. It's also worth pointing out that Dallas has shot 42.3% from three over the past three games, the worst in the league. With this type of defense, Porzingis should have little trouble making a few threes here.
Jaylen Brown 22.5 points or more (-106)
He may not have a capable left hand, but even without one, Brown has caused serious problems for Dallas' defense in recent matchups, scoring 30 points twice in the last three games against Dallas. The above is recorded. He has scored nearly 24 points per game over the past 10 games, largely due to the Mavs' defensive weaknesses at Brown's position. Neither Luka Doncic nor Kyrie Irving will wow with their performance in that aspect, instead focusing on scoring the ball and keeping the Mavs in the game. I expect Brown to take advantage of that, he has cleared this line six times in the last eight games against Dallas. The true leader of this team is Jayson Tatum, but Brown is a close second with 22.4 points per game at TD Garden this season. He's scored over 30 points in his last two games against the Knicks and 76ers, and after seeing him score 34 points against Dallas earlier in the season, I think he'll be consistent here. I hope so.
