The Dallas Mavericks no less than made issues attention-grabbing in Sport 3 of the NBA Finals, however the Boston Celtics are on the verge of a title. The Celtics lead the collection 3-0 after surviving a livid fourth-quarter comeback from the Mavericks on Wednesday.

Even with Kristaps Porziņģis out with an damage, the Celtics led Sport 3 by as many as 21 factors within the fourth quarter and held on for a seven-point win. The Celtics are clearly closely favored to win the collection with -10000 odds. No NBA crew has ever come again from a 3-0 collection deficit within the playoffs. For now, Dallas is simply making an attempt to keep away from being swept.

Right here’s a have a look at the percentages and storylines for Friday’s Sport 4 in Dallas.

All odds from BetMGM. Discover one of the best offers on StubHub for tickets.

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Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks

The best way to watch: 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC

Celtics lead collection 3-0

Collection odds: Celtics -10000, Mavericks +2000

As a impartial, there are two methods to have a look at what occurred in Sport 3. On one hand, Dallas lastly took a recreation right down to the ultimate moments. Positive, the Mavericks had been down 21 early within the fourth quarter, however they responded with a 22-2 run. Dallas struggled down the stretch after Luka Dončić fouled out with 4:12 left within the recreation, however he and Kyrie Irving mixed for 62 factors and the Mavs confirmed there’s a path to victory in opposition to this Boston crew.

Alternatively, Boston is up 3-0 and none of which will matter aside from Dallas confirmed they’ve an honest probability to keep away from a sweep and nothing extra. As of publishing time, the Mavericks are nonetheless favored for Sport 4 at dwelling, albeit by a slim margin (and a slimmer one than the two.5-point unfold for Sport 3).

Irving performed nicely for the primary time this collection with 35 factors on 13-for-28 capturing. Dončić scored 27 factors, however was simply 1-for-7 from 3-point vary and fouled out with a lot time left in what was a 3-point recreation when he exited, dealing a large blow to Dallas’ comeback bid. The Mavs outscored Boston by 9 factors in Dončić’s 38 minutes. Boston outscored Dallas by 16 within the 10 minutes he sat.

Dallas entered Sport 3 needing to regroup to discover a option to beat Boston. It appears just like the blueprint was there in Sport 3, however it wasn’t fairly sufficient.

Boston now seeks the primary sweep within the NBA Finals since 2018, when the Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers the 12 months after Irving left Cleveland for Boston. The 12 months earlier than, Irving and the Cavaliers trailed Golden State 3-0 however Irving dropped 40 factors in Sport 4, which was a blowout win for the Cavs.

There have been 9 sweeps within the historical past of the NBA Finals. Will Boston make it 10 en path to the franchise’s 18th championship?

If the Celtics do win on Friday, Jaylen Brown is predicted to be the Finals MVP, no less than based on the betting odds. Brown is -350 to win the award. He’s averaging 24.3 factors, six rebounds, 5.7 assists and a pair of steals per recreation. Jayson Tatum is +275 to win Finals MVP after capturing simply 35.9 p.c from the sphere for the collection. He did have 31 factors in Sport 3 and will win the award with a large Sport 4.

Knowledgeable picks for Celtics at Mavericks

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(Picture of Luka Dončić and Jaylen Brown: Stacy Revere / Getty Photographs)