The Dallas Mavericks forced a Game 5 as they avoided the sweep with a massive 38-point win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4. Now, the series shifts back to Boston as the Celtics aim to close it out for their 18th banner. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Mavericks-Celtics prediction and pick for Game 5.

The Mavericks shocked everyone when they played so well in Game 4. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the Mavs in the first quarter in which they scored a series-high 34 points. From then on, the game was pretty much over. Boston never once found their groove and as a result, Dallas stormed out to a massive lead, forcing Boston to pull their starters in the third quarter. Never say never, but the Mavericks have the talent to pull off a miracle and win this series. It likely won't happen, but with how they won Game 4, they certainly feel like they can go into Boston and make things interesting.

The Celtics are on the brink of history and instead of coming back to Boston for a parade, they are coming back for Game 5. No team has ever won an NBA Finals after losing one of the games by 38. So that means, no matter what, history will be made by the end of this series. The Celtics need to regroup and figure out a way to respond because they got their behinds kicked Friday night. They remain favorites to win Game 5, but the Mavericks are on a hunt to stay alive.

Here are the NBA Finals odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Finals Odds: Mavericks-Celtics Game 5 Odds

Dallas Mavericks: +6.5 (-106)

Moneyline: +220

Boston Celtics: -6.5 (-114)

Moneyline: -270

Over: 210 (-108)

Under: 210 (-112)

How to Watch Mavericks vs. Celtics NBA Finals Game 5

Time: 8:30 ET/5:30 PT

TV: ABC

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread/Win

By now, you all know these teams pretty well. Luca Doncic and Kyrie Irving need to continue to come out of the gates strong. Their best bet in trying to win this game is another strong start. As good as that duo is, however, they need their role players to stay hot. PJ Washington, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dante Exam have the talent to make a difference in this series. Daniel Gafford and Derrek Lively II must remain strong on the board as well.

Luka is averaging 28.9 points per game this postseason and Kyrie is at 22.5 per game. If they want to win this game, they must both score 25+ while the role players give them good minutes. On the other side of the court, the better Dallas does at preventing Boston from hitting their threes then the closer they will remain in the game. The Celtics are known for attempting a ton early in games, containing that should be their top priority on defense.

Exam scored 10 points last game while Hardaway had a moment with 15. Most of it was late in the game, but he has the veteran presence to hit a few shots again Monday night.

If the Mavericks are within 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, they have a shot at covering the spread. If it's larger, they won't. I don't expect Boston to let up at all if they have a huge lead.

Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Celtics struggled early in games in Dallas. In Boston, they started much better in the first two contests. As said above, I do not believe the Celtics will let what happened in Game 3 happen again. If they have a large lead, they will keep it. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can not settle for fadeaway threes early in the shot clock. You heard Tatum even say it late in Game 3. The smarter the possessions, the better chance they won't have scoring droughts as they did in both games in Dallas.

The Jays must continue to attack Doncic on the defensive end. Screen as many times as you can to force him to defend. If not him, then Kyrie needs to be attacked. The more those two are drained, the easier it will be for the Celtics to maintain control. You have to make those two play on both sides of the court.

The biggest stat in this postseason for Boston is that they have won every game easily after a loss. Based on how the first two games went in Boston, this shouldn't be as high-scoring of a game. The lower the score, the better Boston's chances are.

Final Mavericks-Celtics Prediction & Pick

I expect the Mavericks to keep this game much closer than the first two losses in Boston. However, the spread at 6.5 isn't enough for me to take it as I do think the Celtics close out this game as world champions. The Celtics are the better team and in front of the home crowd, they will get it done. Buy a few points to be safe if you like but take them to cover this spread in what will be the final game of the season. The Under at 210 is another good choice.

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Final Mavericks-Celtics Prediction & Pick: Celtics -6.5 (-114), Under 210 (-112)