The Boston Celtics have the chance to sweep the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals on Friday. Game 4 is slated to tip at 8:30 p.m. ET. Boston pulled out a third straight win to open their best-of-seven series against Dallas on Wednesday and is one win away from the 18th title in franchise history.
The Celtics got 61 combined points from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Game 3, improving to 7-0 on the road in the 2024 playoffs. Luka Doncic finished with 27 points for Dallas, while Kyrie Irving had his best game of these Finals with a game-high 35 points. Irving has lost 13 straight games against his former team, the Celtics.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in NBA playoff history in 156 previous attempts. Only four teams in a 3-0 hole have ever forced a Game 7, including the Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference finals.
Every 2024 NBA Finals game will air on ABC and will be streaming on fubo (try for free).
Celtics vs. Mavericks Game 4 info
Time: 8:30 p.m ET | Date: Friday, June 14
Location: American Airlines Center -- Dallas
TV channel: ABC | Streaming: ABC/fubo
Celtics vs. Mavericks Game 4 odds, prediction
Eight teams in the post-merger NBA have taken a 3-0 lead in the Finals. Six of them swept the series. The two that didn't were largely outliers. The 2017 Cavaliers made 24 3-pointers. If the Mavericks do that in Game 4, they'll probably win, but that's not exactly a replicable formula. The 1996 Sonics finally allowed Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton to guard Michael Jordan. The Mavericks don't have a Gary Payton waiting in the wings, and if they did, they wouldn't have waited three games to use him properly. Boston remains undefeated on the road in the playoffs. Congratulations to the impending NBA champion Boston Celtics. The Pick: Celtics +1
I'm conceding defeat on the overs in this series. Boston has taken away the only shots the Dallas role players are capable of making. They took around 16 corner 3's per game in the Oklahoma City series. They're down to around five in this one. There are no lobs available for Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford. The Mavericks haven't yet scored 100 points in a game in the Finals. They can't score enough to reliably hit overs in this matchup. The Pick: Under 211.5
I'm thinking somewhat symbolically here, but the Celtics have had a different leading scorer in each of the first three games of the Finals. The egalitarian offense is baked into their DNA, so I'm expecting a different scorer to step up in Game 4. Derrick White has only four made 3-pointers so far in the series. There's plenty of available opportunity near the basket, he's a relatively low priority for the Dallas defense, and he's gone over this total twice in three games in the Finals. The Pick: White Over 15.5 Points
Sam Hauser has now made more 3's in the Finals (five) than every Mavericks reserve combined (four). More importantly, he excelled defensively in over 14 minutes in Game 3, and the Celtics won his minutes by 16 points in what was ultimately a nine-point win. He's proven he's capable of taking on a real role with Kristaps Porzingis out, and he's attempted nine total 3-pointers in the past two games. I'm expecting the Celtics to continue to lean on him, and for him to deliver from deep. The Pick: Hauser to make at least two 3's
Doncic hasn't had a true scoring explosion in this series yet, and that might not be feasible given how good the Celtics are defensively, but in a season-ending game, I think he's going to make sure that the Mavericks don't go down without him swinging. He's getting defended one-on-one, and while that has taken away shots from his role players, it opens the door for him to put up gaudy numbers. There's nothing left to hold back. If he doesn't score 40 or more, the Mavericks might just not have a chance. The Pick: Doncic Over 32.5 Points
-- Sam Quinn
