Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Best Bet: Will Dereck Lively Continue to Crash the Boards in Game 5?
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Best Bet: Will Dereck Lively Continue to Crash the Boards in Game 5?
The Dallas Mavericks travel back to Boston to take on the Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA finals. The Dallas Mavericks were able to stave off elimination in Game 4, blowing out the Celtics by a score of one 22–84. Will the Mavericks be able to do what no team has done and come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs? If they want to do it, they will have to start by winning another game tonight. That starts with another good performance from Mavericks rookie Derek Lively.
MAVERICKS VS. CELTICS GAME 5 DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: June 17, 2024
- Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ABC
Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics Game 5 Prediction
Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are the stars of the Mavericks, but they need their role players to step up if they want to win another game in this series. The Mavericks' rookie center, Derek Lively, had a nice Game 4, putting up 11 points and 12 rebounds without committing a foul or having a turnover.
Lively followed up his good performance in Game 3, where he had 11 points and 13 rebounds without a foul or turnover as well. After a slow start to the series, Derek Lively has come alive and given the Mavericks key minutes off the bench in place of Daniel Gafford. The bet I’m going for Game 5 is Derek Lively over 8.5 rebounds. He has cleared this in his last two games, and he has averaged 21.5 rebound chances over the last two games. He has converted that into 12.5 rebounds over the last two games on average, easily hitting over 8.5 in both.
He has led the Mavericks by far in rebound chances over the last two, with Luka Dončić being second with 9.5 rebound chances over the last two games. If the Mavericks want to win this game, they will need role players like Likely to step up, and with Lively coming alive in Games 3 and 4, I like him to go over 8.5 rebounds once again in Game 5.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics Game 5 Best Bet
Pick: Dereck Lively Over 8.5 Rebounds (-125) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
DALLAS MAVERICKS VS. BOSTON CELTICS NBA FINALS GAME 5 SYSTEM PROJECTIONS - JUNE 17
— Monday, June 17th Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.