The long wait is over: we've got some championship basketball tonight! This series between Dallas and Boston has everything we want to see, and the bow on top would most certainly be a winning SGP.
Tonight is going to be a treat. It's great to have some meaningful postseason sports back in our life.
Time to get off on the right foot with this three-leg Game 1 Finals SGP
First leg: Jayson Tatum 10+ rebounds
The expectation here is we should be seeing plenty of Jayson Tatum rebounds this series. Tatum has averaged 11.5 rebounds per game in his past four against the Mavericks, and he has logged 10+ boards in 11 of 14 games this postseason.
It seems as if Tatum may be matched up on Dereck Lively II for long stretches of the game, an advantageous matchup on the glass for the Celtics star. Tatum has been pushing 44+ minutes a game of late, a role that should remain on the sport's largest stage. With that type of workload, there will be no shortage of rebounding chances for Tatum.
Second leg: Derrick White 3+ threes
Derrick White has been Mr. Consistent for the Celtics this postseason, especially from long range. He's averaging 3.4 threes per game, and at home, that numbers jumps to 3.8 made treys per contest.
His volume is terrific, and he should get some softer defensive matchups with Kristaps Porzingis back and rounding out this elite starting five. We like White to be chucking 'em up, and the makes should accompany that workload.
Third leg: Luka Doncic 45+ PRA
We need a Dallas leg here, and no better choice than simply backing Luka Doncic. We're watering down his points + rebounds + assist line just a bit, as he's been far more consistent at this number. By all means, he should be good for 50+ here as the best player on the court.
Doncic has logged 45+ PRA in seven straight games and eight of nine on the road this postseason, averaging 48.4 PRA/game. We've seen how often the star steps up in opposing arenas, and tonight should be no different.
In his past four games against Boston, Doncic has thrice gone for 59+ PRA, with one game at 35. We like our chances that this is a strong showing over a dud, add Luka to your card in Game 1.
Altogether, this trio comes in at +305 on DraftKings, and there are plenty of SGP boosts available, so be sure to explore all of your favorite books to find the best price or promo offering that works for you!
In the news ...
Lakers reportedly working to lure Dan Hurley to Los Angeles as next head coach — Well how 'bout this for a turn in the Lakers head coaching search? It had seemed like things were progressing for JJ Redick to become the next coach of Los Angeles, but now Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the Lakers are preparing a massive contract offer for UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley. Hurley has won back-to-back titles with UConn. We should hear some definitive news soon.
Get prepped for the Stanley Cup Final, starting Saturday — It's not too early to get going on some resources to help power some winning Stanley Cup Final bets, and we have you covered there. If you're looking for an all-encompassing preview that breaks down each team's most impactful players, how we're reading this series, and which bets we like most, hop over to our betting preview here. Looking for some late Conn Smythe picks or series-long props? We've got that too. For those who don't want to click links, we'll just go ahead and say that we love Florida to win it all at -128. The Panthers are deeper, have the goaltending edge, and their experience from being here last year should come in handy over the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid. Buckle up, these games are going to be a lot of fun.
Novak Djokovic to have knee injury, Wimbledon status unknown — We had alluded to it earlier this week, but the knee injury suffered by Novak Djokovic on Monday was enough to force him out of the French Open, and now the No. 1 player in the world has undergone knee surgery to repair his torn right meniscus. This raises serious doubts as to whether he can compete at Wimbledon, which runs from July 1 to July 14. It may be more likely that Djokovic instead aims to rehab and be good-to-go for this summer's Olympics in Paris. Side note: anyone else forget we had the Olympics this summer? Hopefully we can bet on just about anything and everything for Paris this summer.
Lest we forget about the ongoing French Open. The men's semis take place on Friday between No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Jannik Sinner, and the other side of the bracket will see No. 7 Casper Ruud take on No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz is the current favorite to win it all, at +105.
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