The Boston Celtics will be looking to get off to a hot start when they face the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Thursday night. Boston swept Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals, while Dallas got past Minnesota in five games in the Western Conference finals. Mavericks star Luka Doncic has scored at least 28 points in seven consecutive games, including a 36-point performance against Minnesota in Game 5. His point total for Thursday night is 31.5 points in the latest 2024 NBA Finals prop odds. Should your NBA prop picks include Doncic, or should you target a player like Jayson Tatum, who has posted 10 double-doubles so far this postseason?

Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston. SportsLine consensus lists Boston as a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Celtics vs. Mavericks odds, while the over/under is 215.5. Before you make any Mavericks vs. Celtics prop picks, you NEED to see what the SportsLine AI PickBot has to say.

Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine's Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each pick and player prop. The AI predictions are determined by statistically learning from each player and team's historical data then quantitatively evaluating the strength of the opponents defense by assigning a numeric value out of 100 called a matchup score. 

Once a prediction is formulated, the AI rating is generated using the prediction, the matchup score, and the odds of the market. For example, you could see a A+ rating on an over bet if a player is facing a poor defense, their prediction differs from the line and there are favorable odds.

In addition, SportsLine AI is the first fully automated predictive model at SportsLine. It continuously refreshes on the most recent available data and can help you spot the biggest discrepancies in the lines. During the NFL season, SportsLine's AI PickBot hit a whopping 1,674 4.5- and 5-star prop picks. During the current NBA season, it's nailed 932 money line picks, 680 over/under bets and 637 spread picks. Now it turns its attention to the 2024 NBA Finals and has revealed its best bets for Game 1 of Celtics vs. Mavericks. 

After examining dozens of NBA player props for Mavericks vs. Celtics, we can tell you SportsLine AI says Celtics guard Derrick White goes Over 23.5 total points plus rebounds plus assists (-106). White has played a bigger role in Boston's offense during the playoffs than he did during the regular season, upping his scoring average from 15.2 to 17.8 points per game. He is averaging 26.5 points plus rebounds plus assists this postseason, going Over this prop total in five straight games. 

In addition, SportsLine AI PickBot has generated several predictions for Game 1 and says one side of the spread is an A pick while also revealing two more game picks for Game 1!

Which player prop should you be playing for Celtics vs. Mavericks, and which side of the spread yields an A play? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the AI PickBot that uses predictive learning to crush its NBA picks and player props!