Huge win in Game 1 by the Celtics on their home floor, what adjustments will the Mavericks make in Game 2 to try and square this up?
Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics (10:00am)
Best Bet
Boston has struggled to put two strong games together on their home court all post-season. In the first-round they lost to a Jimmy Butler-less Miami in Game 2, got smoked by the Cavs in Game 2 in the second-round, and in the Eastern Conference Finals they should have lost Game 1 to the Pacers.
The fact they were so good in Game 1 against Dallas means I expect a response from the Mavericks. Dallas has not lost two consecutive games this post-season and even though that doesn’t mean they’ll win Game 2 here, I think this will be a lot tighter. Game 1 was their lowest score of the post-season with 89 points – they’re too talented and well-coached to produce another outing like that.
Value Bet
Credit to Joe Mazz on his defensive scout of Dallas in Game 1. He backed in his defensive back-court in Holiday, White and Brown to contain Luka and Kyrie, therefore not overhelping off the ball and giving role players open shots.
The result, Luka didn’t have a single assist from 22 drives across Game 1, nor did Kyrie who managed just 8 points and 2 turnovers from 13 driving attempts, while PJ Washington didn’t make a single catch and shoot triple.
Boston won’t change this up all that much, but Dallas will. There are driving lanes available if you can get on the rim, and outside of Luka and Kyrie the next best driver is Jaden Hardy.
Hardy only played 11 minutes for 13 points in Game 1, with the best +/- of any Maverick that played at least 10 minutes. I think Kidd makes the adjustment and runs Luka, Kyrie and Hardy together in an attempt to attack the rim at all costs. 10+ points for Hardy paying $6.50 also great value.
SGM – Mavericks +7.5 / Hardy Over 3.5 Points / White 4+ Assists = $4.00
