In Game 4, the Mavericks staved off the Celtics' championship celebration with a dominant victory.
However, the series shifts back to Boston tonight, and that also means Kyrie Irving will be public enemy No. 1 once again.
Read on for my NBA player props tonight for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, featuring picks for Irving, Jaylen Brown and Dante Exum.
Kyrie Irving Under 23.5 Points (+100)
After failing to crack 20 points in the first two games of this series, Irving finally broke out in Game 3, scoring 35 points on 13-for-28 shooting from the field.
He was even more efficient in Game 4, going 10-for-18 from the field. However, due to the blowout, he didn't play in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points.
Irving has now gone under this line in three of the four games in this series. Now things shift back to Boston, where Irving averaged 14 points in the first two games.
By now, we're all aware that Irving is a former Celtic, and his time in Boston didn't end well. Boston fans have rained down boos on him every time he touches the ball. Irving has said the boos haven't impacted him, but the results suggest otherwise.
Irving has scored 24 points in just one of his last six games in Boston.
However, Irving's struggles on the road of late extend past Boston. He's gone under this line in eight of his last 10 road games while averaging 19.2 points per outing in that span.
He's also attempted just seven free throws in the first four games of this series.
Irving is attempting 20.8 field goals per game in this series, but if he struggles with his shot again tonight, he likely won't get much help from the foul line.
Pick: Kyrie Irving Under 23.5 Points (+100)
Jaylen Brown Over 30.5 Points + Rebounds (-120)
Brown struggled to get much going in Game 4, scoring 10 points and grabbing one rebound while shooting 3-for-12 from the field.
However, in Game 3, Brown helped the Celtics take a stranglehold on this series. He scored 30 points, had eight rebounds and also thwarted the Mavericks' last run with a pull-up jumper with a minute to go.
Brown is averaging 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in this series.
Game 3 is the only game in this series that he cleared this line. However, Brown is averaging 24.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in this postseason. He's hit this in half of Boston's 18 playoff games, and when he does, it's often been sweat-free.
In the nine games that Brown has hit this line in the playoffs, he's averaging 37 points and rebounds per game.
Despite Brown's Game 4 performance, he remains the betting favorite for Finals MVP. He's also emerged as Boston's vocal leader.
If the Celtics are going to close this series out tonight, Brown will likely be a big reason why.
Pick: Jaylen Brown Over 30.5 Points + Rebounds (-120)
Dante Exum Over 2.5 Points (-135)
In the NBA Finals, Dante Exum hasn't gotten a lot of burn. He's averaging just 8.3 minutes per game.
However, he played 14 minutes in Game 4 and attempted seven shots — after just two in the first three games.
Still, Exum has managed to hit this line in two of the first four games of the NBA Finals, despite not taking a shot in Game 1.
Head coach Jason Kidd has said he wants Exum out there because he helps the Mavericks play faster. That helped the Mavericks score 122 points en route to their blowout victory in Game 4.
As a result, I'm expecting Exum to have a role tonight.
His teammates Irving and Luka Doncic attract most of the attention, and Doncic is one of the game's best passers. They should be able to set up Exum for at least one open 3-pointer.
He can also get this number with a 3-point play or two layups in transition.
If he plays at least 10 minutes, he should have time and opportunity to score three points tonight.
