The 2024 NBA Finals get underway on Thursday night with the Boston Celtics (-210) favored to win their first championship since 2008. The Dallas Mavericks (+180) come into the series as a bit of a surprise contender, having dispatched both the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the West, along with the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Celtics opened as 6-point favorites in Game 1 at sportsbooks, and the line moved quickly to -6.5 after some respected bets came in on Boston -6 at several books. The public has been all over the Mavericks to cover tonight, with 71% of bets and 67% of the total dollars wagered at BetMGM on Dallas. The story is the same at DraftKings, which has 70% of bets and 64% of the money on Mavs +6.5.
Public bettors have also been loving the OVER in Game 1, pushing it from 213.5 to 215.5. At BetMGM, 71% of the bets and 84% of the total dollars are on the OVER, while at DraftKings the splits are even higher: 87% of the wagers and a staggering 92% of the money is on the OVER. Some of that likely also has to do with the expectation that Kristaps Porzingis will indeed return for the Celtics tonight.
