Boston held Dallas to a mere 89 points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and cruised to an 18-point victory. Kristaps Porzingis surprisingly came off the bench for the second time in his career, but that did not stop the veteran from dropping 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Can the Celtics take a commanding two-game series lead this Sunday?
Check out my three-leg same-game parlay (SGP) for Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics on Sunday, June 9.
NBA Finals Same Game Parlay: Mavericks vs Celtics Game 2 SGP
- Daniel Gafford Under 0.5 Blocks (+180)
- Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 Assists (-215)
- Al Horford Over 0.5 Made 3-Pointers (-650)
Parlay Odds: +340
Daniel Gafford Under 0.5 Blocks (+180)
Mavericks vs. Celtics Game 2 | 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC
I am once again fading Daniel Gafford in this spot. Boston features two stretch-fives that don’t relentlessly attack the basket, which places him in a weak position to rack up blocks. Additionally, the Celtics love to kick out instead of finishing through heavy traffic, thus reducing weak-side opportunities.
Three-fourths (75%) of Gafford’s contests came on 2-point attempts during the regular season after the trade deadline. In comparison, that mark plummeted to 33% in Game 1. The numbers simply do not favor Gafford here.
Finally, he only received 14 minutes in Game 1. Maxi Kleber and Dereck Lively II should both see heavy usage against Boston’s versatility, so Gafford’s playing time is suspect.
Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 Assists (-215)
Mavericks vs. Celtics Game 2 | 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC
Although his five Game 1 assists did not light up the box score, Jayson Tatum had a whopping 14 potential assists. He experienced unlucky teammate shooting, but it’s likely that Tatum’s outlets regress to the mean – Boston was second in the NBA in effective field goal percentage this season.
Dallas refused to let Tatum isolate or drive into space, as they were constantly showing help and forcing kick-outs. That strategy definitely favors a big assist night for Tatum, who has reached 5+ in 12-of-15 games this postseason.
Al Horford Over 0.5 Made 3-Pointers (-650)
Mavericks vs. Celtics Game 2 | 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC
At 38-years-old, Al Horford is still playing at a high level. The veteran saw four wide-open 3-point attempts in Game 1, and he went 2-for-5 from deep for the contest.
Dallas’ struggles with defending stretch-fives will not suddenly vanish overnight. So, Horford should continue to see great looks from beyond the arc.
NBA Finals Game 2 SGP (+340): Daniel Gafford Under 0.5 Blocks, Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 Assists, Al Horford Over 0.5 Made 3-Pointers
These three legs create a +340 same-game parlay on DraftKings, which has a 22.7% implied probability. In other words, that’s the hit-rate that this parlay needs for the bet to theoretically be profitable in the long-run.
