NBA Picks & Parlay of the Weekend | June 9

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was a little disappointing with the Celtics dominating from start to finish. Naturally, that result made most people using Massachusetts sportsbooks happy. Of course, there is plenty of basketball left to play, so Game 1 may not be indicative of what’s left to come. For Game 2, the US Legal Sports Betting team decided to put together a three-leg parlay. For this parlay, we took our odds from BetRivers. Before you do the same, feel free to read our BetRivers Sportsbook review.

Mavericks +7 | -113 at BetRivers

Game 1 was in no way indicative of how good the Mavericks are and how well they’ve played during the postseason. We’re willing to chalk it up to the long layoff and a Boston team that came out like a buzzsaw. Plus, Dallas has an excellent track record in Game 2 during the postseason. The Mavericks have won all three of their Game 2 contests, all as a road underdog. That’s a good omen that the Mavs will at least be able to keep Sunday’s game close and beat the spread.

Keep in mind the Celtics have had some trouble in Game 2 during the playoffs. A complete letdown seems unlikely since this is the NBA Finals. But we’ve also seen the Celtics lose twice as double-digit favorites in Game 2. As well as the Celtics played in Game 1, they might have trouble replicating that performance in Game 2, especially with the Mavs making some adjustments. That makes us think Boston may not cover the spread so easily.

Luka Doncic Under 8.5 Assists | -139 at BetRiver

The Celtics held Doncic to just one assist in Game 1. That was a result of his teammates missing shots but also a result of Boston’s defense. The Celtics clearly had a plan for him and they aren’t going to deviate from that in Game 2. Even if it means Doncic scoring 30 points again, Boston won’t let him carve them up with passes.

After his one assist in Game 1, the over/under for Doncic’s assist total should have come down a little more than it did. Since the start of the Conference Finals, he’s only gone over eight assists twice in six games. In fact, Doncic has five assists or less in three of his last four games, so we’re a little bullish on his assist numbers for Game 2.

Al Horford Under 15.5 Points + Rebounds | -127 at BetRivers

We hit on Horford’s point + rebounds number in Game 1. However, the over/under for this prop has climbed too high. With the re-emergence of Kristaps Porzinigis, it’s fair to question if Horford is going to play enough minutes to hit this number. While Horford played 30 minutes in Game 1 while Porzingis played 21 minutes off the bench, that ratio could change and work against Horford moving forward.

It's also worth mentioning that Dallas has quality frontcourt players. Derrick Jones and Daniel Gafford didn’t give their best effort in Game 1, but they should come back strong in Game 2. That will make it a little harder for Horford to put up the numbers he has throughout the playoffs. Therefore, this is a good time to fade him.