NBA Finals Predictions & Best Bets for Mavericks Fans

The Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA Finals for just the third time in franchise history as Luka Doncic looks to lead them past the Boston Celtics. We make our best Mavericks predictions and best bets ahead of the series.

Dallas Mavericks fans have waited 13 seasons for a chance for their team to add a second title, but in their first NBA Finals since 2011, they have to topple the consensus favorites, the Boston Celtics. We have you covered with our best NBA Finals predictions and bets for Dallas fans based on the best NBA odds.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was the starting point guard the last time the Mavs made the NBA Finals. Fans will hope he can duplicate the success of the 2010-11 Mavericks, who famously upset the favored Miami Heat. This year, they face a similar challenge against the Boston Celtics, the favorites according to the NBA championship odds.

To have any chance at the title, the Mavs will need superstar Luka Doncic to maintain his extraordinary performance, which has boosted his NBA Finals MVP odds ahead of this week's championship series.

As discussed in our NBA Finals odds & betting preview, Doncic has been the most dominant player in the playoffs, setting the stage for an NBA Finals showdown between the league's best team and its best player.

Along with our NBA Finals predictions & best bets for Celtics fans, here's our breakdown of the top NBA Finals predictions and best bets for Mavericks fans ahead of Game 1 between the Mavericks and Celtics (odds via our best sports betting sites).

Best Mavericks NBA Finals odds

Prop Best odds
Mavericks to win series  +184 via FanDuel
Mavericks -1.5 games +290 via BetMGM
Mavericks -2.5 games  +750 via bet365
Mavericks -3.5 games +2500 via BetMGM
Mavericks +1.5 games -120 via Caesars
Mavericks +2.5 games -222 via BetMGM
Mavericks win series 4-0 +2500 via Caesars
Mavericks win series 4-1 +1500 via BetMGM
Mavericks win series 4-2 +550 via DraftKings
Mavericks win series 4-3 +800 via bet365

Not even the most committed Mavericks fan would have expected Dallas to reach the NBA Finals as recently as early March. There was a time when it looked like Doncic and Co. would need the NBA Play-In Tournament to reach the playoffs.

That was before they closed out the regular season by going 16-4 over their last 20 games, and that momentum has carried into the postseason. 

While the Celtics have been positioned as chosen ones this season, the Mavericks are as worthy an opponent as there is in the NBA. Dallas has one of the most lethal backcourt combos in the NBA with Doncic and Kyrie Irving, upsetting the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves en route to the Finals.

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With Doncic continuing his MVP level of play, the Mavericks will make this a competitive series, even if they don't win the title. While I have Boston taking it in six, I think the best bet here is to go with Dallas +1.5.

Unless you believe the Mavericks will pull off the upset, the best odds on the board are for Dallas to force it to seven before ultimately losing. The -120 odds imply a 54.55% probability Dallas covers the +1.5 series spread, according to our odds converter. A $10 bet on this prop pays a profit of $8.33.

Best bet: Mavericks +1.5 games (-120 via Caesars)

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Best Mavericks NBA Finals MVP odds

Player Best odds
Luka Doncic +225 via bet365
Kyrie Irving +2200 via DraftKings
P.J. Washington +30000 via BetMGM
Daniel Gafford +35000 via Caesars
Derrick Jones Jr.  +50000 via DraftKings
Dereck Lively II +50000 via FanDuel

There's almost no feasible way that the Mavericks win this series and Doncic isn't named NBA Finals MVP. He's the best player taking the court in the series and, unlike with the Celtics' stars, he's the focal point of Dallas' offensive attack no matter what the situation is in the game.

For confident Mavericks bettors, you have to be elated that these odds are as long as they are for Doncic to win MVP. His usage has been through the roof all season and it's continued into the playoffs. Doncic leads Dallas in PPG (28.8), RPG (9.6), APG (8.8), and made 3-pointers per game (3.4), and his numbers would be even better if not for a knee injury slowing him at the beginning of the playoffs.

But Doncic seems to be back to his best and is coming off a series against the top-rated T-Wolves defense in which he averaged 50.2 combined points, rebounds, and assists while registering two triple-doubles. So while Doncic's odds only imply a 32.79% probability he'll win the award, they pay a $22.5 profit on a $10 bet at bet365 thanks to one of the best sportsbook promos of the NBA Finals.

Once upon a time, nobody expected Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks to upset the Heat, but they did and he won NBA Finals MVP. Betting the Mavericks to win the title and Doncic to take home MVP would pay a pretty penny. 

Best bet: Luka Doncic (+225 via bet365)

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Best Mavericks NBA Finals player props

Prop Best odds
Series points leader Luka Doncic (-175 via BetMGM)
Series threes leader Luka Doncic (+100 via FanDuel)
Series rebounds leader Luka Doncic (+180 via DraftKings)
Series assists leader Luka Doncic (-500 via bet365)
Series blocks leader Daniel Gafford (+180 via bet365)
Series steals leader Luka Doncic (+400 via bet365)
Luka Doncic Over 30.8 PPG -110 via DraftKings
Luka Doncic Over 3.8 made 3PG -115 via DraftKings
Kyrie Irving Under 23.8 PPG -125 via DraftKings
Dereck Lively II Over 7.0 RPG -115 via DraftKings

Regardless of which side you're on in this NBA Finals, betting into the series leading stats market is tough.

On Boston's side, the Celtics are so well-rounded with several players capable of leading in various categories, and on Dallas' side, it's the Doncic show. I think everyone expects the Mavericks star to lead the series in points - he's averaging the most per game of any player left in the playoffs - but the -175 odds are hard to justify.

It's even tougher when it comes to assists. Again, Doncic is leading that category and it's not even close, hence his -500 odds to lead the series in apples implying an 83.33% probability with a $10 bet paying just a $2 profit. Rebounds are tricky, too. While Doncic has led Dallas in boards in the playoffs, Jayson Tatum is pulling in 10.4 per game for the Celtics.

The best bang for your buck comes from taking Doncic to lead the series in threes at even money. He and Boston's Derrick White are both averaging 3.4 per game, but Doncic has been the better shooter as of late. White hit just 2.8 per game in the ECF while shooting 33.3% from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Doncic averaged 4.6 per game in the WCF on 43.5% shooting.

Going hand in hand with taking Doncic to lead the series in threes is taking the Over on his 30.8 PPG and 3.4 made threes per game. Against the mighty Minnesota defense, he averaged Over on both numbers. I expect Irving to take his lumps against Boston's defense, especially with White likely guarding him, which helps Doncic's case as well.

Best bet: Luka Doncic to lead series in threes (+100 via FanDuel)

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NBA Finals predictions

Dallas Mavericks FAQs

How many NBA championships have the Mavericks won?

The Mavericks have won one NBA championship, which came in 2010-11 with Dirk Nowitzki and current head coach Jason Kidd as the star players.

When was the Mavericks' last NBA championship?

The last time the Mavericks won the NBA championship was in 2010-11, the franchise's lone title. They defeated LeBron James and the Miami Heat in six games.

When did the Mavericks last make the NBA Finals?

The Mavericks haven't made it back to the NBA Finals since winning it in 2010-11. The closest they've come prior to this season was reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021-22, when they lost to a Golden State Warriors team that also faced (and defeated) the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

How many times have the Mavericks made the NBA Finals?

This will be just the third appearance in the NBA Finals for the Mavericks since their first season as an expansion team in 1980. They've now reached the NBA Finals in 2005-06, 2010-11, and 2023-24.

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