The Celtics are going to put this series to bed tonight. They respond very well as a team when they are off an embarrassing blowout loss like they had in game 4. Boston after scoring 90 points or less is 8-0 against the spread in the last few seasons. And after a blowout loss of 30 or more points, Boston is 1-0 against the spread this season and 3-0 against the spread in the last three seasons. Dallas is 2-4 against the spread this season as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12 points. More importantly, Dallas is 0-6 this season off an upset win as a home underdog. The Celtics are going to come out strong and take it to the Mavericks. They didn’t shoot well in this last game as their 3 point shots weren't hitting, and sat some of their starters for most of the game. Look for the Celtics to get back to preventing Dallas from lobbing the ball and from getting corner 3 point shots, and they should have a much better shooting game. They will lock down on defense again to win and cover the game as all the role players step up big again. Dallas hasn’t been able to play well on the road in Boston, and Irving’s record there has been abysmal.

Best bet: lay the points with Boston.