Associated Press
Dallas Mavericks (50-32, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (64-18, first in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Celtics -6.5; over/under is 214.5
NBA FINALS: Celtics host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks to open the NBA Finals. Boston went 2-0 against Dallas during the regular season. The Celtics won the last regular season matchup 138-110 on March 2 led by 32 points from Jayson Tatum, while Luka Doncic scored 37 points for the Mavericks.
The Celtics have gone 37-4 at home. Boston is the NBA leader with 35.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Tatum averaging 7.2.
The Mavericks have gone 25-16 away from home. Dallas ranks ninth in the Western Conference shooting 36.9% from 3-point range.
The 120.6 points per game the Celtics average are 5.0 more points than the Mavericks allow (115.6). The Mavericks are shooting 48.1% from the field, 2.8% higher than the 45.3% the Celtics’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tatum is shooting 47.1% and averaging 26.9 points for the Celtics. Derrick White is averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Daniel Gafford is scoring 11.0 points per game and averaging 7.6 rebounds for the Mavericks. Doncic is averaging 29.1 points and 10.5 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 9-1, averaging 113.8 points, 44.0 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 6.4 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.1 points per game.
Mavericks: 8-2, averaging 109.8 points, 43.9 rebounds, 23.5 assists, 6.1 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.7 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: None listed.
Mavericks: Olivier-Maxence Prosper: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
