The Dallas Mavericks will enter the 2024 NBA Finals as sizeable underdogs, with a designation of +175 to win the championship outright. And given the value that their betting odds bring, it appears as though the general betting public is leaning heavily on Luka Dončić and company to take home the hardware within the next couple of weeks.
Money Is On The Mavericks In NBA Finals
The Mavericks are currently +180 to win the NBA Finals @BetMGM 🤔 pic.twitter.com/H4JHRgVXiU
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 6, 2024
The Boston Celtics have been the league’s most dominant team throughout the season. They rolled through their regular season schedule and finished 14 games better than anyone else in the Eastern Conference, and have lost just two playoff games thus far on their run to the NBA Finals. They have a -210 designation for the entirety of the series, and are big favorites at home for Game 1 with a spread of -6.5.
According to sportsbooks around the nation, the bookies will be rooting heavily for the Celtics.
Given their status as underdogs and the recent surge by the Doncic/Kyrie Irving duo, the public is all in on the Mavericks. According to FanDuel, 82% of bets for Game 1 are on Dallas in the money line, which has a value of +190 ($100 to win $190).
Hal Egeland, a senior trader for BetMGM had the following to say:
It has been nothing but Mavericks money since the end of the WCF. The sportsbook will be cheering for the Celtics to win the championhip
Dallas Was +2200 Entering The Season
The Mavericks are currently +180 to win the NBA Finals @BetMGM 🤔 pic.twitter.com/H4JHRgVXiU
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 6, 2024
The Celtics have been favorites to make it to the NBA Finals since before the season even started. They and the defending champion Denver Nuggets were listed as having the shortest odds on the pre-season boards, and have stayed there ever since through the dominance.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more towards the middle of the pack. They entered the season with a designation of around +2200, lower than the Heat, Lakers, and Warriors, and on par with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies. Even when the postseason began, Dallas was hovering somewhere around +1800.