The Boston Celtics were heavy favorites heading into Game 1 to win the NBA title. They were -225 to win the series while the Dallas Mavericks were +188.
Those odds changed in a major way after Boston blew the Mavericks out of the water in a 107-89 win. The Celtics are now -420 while the Mavericks are +330. History is certainly on Boston’s side. The team that wins Game 1 of the NBA Finals ends up winning the series 70% of the time.
The Celtics entered Game 1 as 6.5-point favorites, but few saw Kristaps Porziņģis being the most impactful player on the court. As a result, the MVP market saw a major shakeup following his 20-point, six-rebound and three-block performance. Porziņģis was +5000 to win MVP after a 38-day layoff with a calf strain. However, he’s now +550.
Jayson Tatum remains the favorite, but his odds dipped from -125 to +105. Tatum had a solid showing Thursday night, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown went from +700 to +280 and now has the second-best odds after scoring a team-high 22 points with six boards, three steals, three blocks and a pair of assists.
As for Dallas’ players, Luka Dončić went from +210 to +350 after recording 30 points and 10 rebounds but only one assist in Game 1. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving’s odds tanked, going from +1800 to +3600. Irving struggled Thursday night, scoring just 12 points with three rebounds and two assists.
2024 NBA Finals MVP Odds
Odds via FanDuel as of June 6.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | +105 |
| Jaylen Brown | +280 |
| Luka Dončić | +350 |
| Kristaps Porziņģis | +550 |
| Kyrie Irving | +3600 |
| Derrick White | +8500 |
| Jrue Holiday | +14000 |
| Al Horford | +31000 |
