Celtics vs. Mavs NBA Finals results, highlights, live wagering wins from our Game 5 betting blog

It's official: the Boston Celtics are the 2024 NBA Finals champions! Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and company completed the gentleman's sweep on Monday night, putting the finishing touches on an impeccable season of wire-to-wire dominance. 

The Sporting News BetMGM live betting blog was there every step of the way during this championship series, focusing on every game with the top pregame bets, best live wagers, and updated scores, highlights, and betting advice.

When the confetti rained down on TD Garden and the champagne started popping in the home locker room, the Celtics had earned the distinction of going 16-3 in the playoffs and 46-6 at home throughout the entire 2023-24 campaign.

MORE: Jayson Tatum's near triple-double drives title | Can the Celtics repeat?

Along the way, the Sporting News' crushed on dozens of best bets. Going into Game 5, our NBA Finals betting blog went 32-17 with pregame and live-betting BetMGM wagers and player props. Let's check out how Game 5 went, and tally up our wins and losses from the final game of the 2023-24 season. 

Celtics at Mavs: Game 5 score, highlights

This is where the Sporting News' live betting blog will post updates and offer live up-to-the-minute betting advice during Game 5.

Celtics vs. Mavericks Game 5 score

The Sporting News' Celtics-Mavs best bets roundup

Here's a complete breakdown of every BetMGM bet the Sporting News served up for Game 5, both pregame and during the live-betting window:

• Celtics to win first half and game (-130) ✅ 67-46, 106-88  
• Both teams to score 25 points in the 1st quarter (+120) ❌ 28-18
• SGP: Luka Doncic 30+ points/Jaylen Brown 25+ points (+160) ❌ 28/21
• Sam Hauser rebounds: OVER 2.5 (+125) ✅ 4
• Dante Exum points: OVER 2.5 (-125) ✅ 4
• Both teams to score OVER 23.5 first-quarter points (-140) ❌
• Jayson Tatum double-double (-145) ✅ 31-9-11
• Sam Hauser live scoring OVER 6.5 points (+125) ✅ 8
• Live OVER 203.5 total points (-115) ❌ 194
• Derrick Jones live OVER 11.5 points (-115) ❌ 10 
• Jayson Tatum -150 to win Finals MVP ❌ Jaylen Brown
• Kyrie Irving UNDER 17.5 points (-110) ✅ 15

Total win-loss record for Game 5: 6-6

Total W-L record for NBA Finals: 38-23

Celtics vs. Mavericks Game 5 updates, live-betting recommendations

10:58 p.m.: This one's done, folks! The Celtics are the 2024 NBA Finals champions. Dominant from wire to wire and favored the whole way. History! The 18th banner is coming to TD Garden and the champagne celebration will be in the home locker room tonight!

10:28 p.m.: Well, that was ugly. There appeared to be a rim on the Celtics' rim, and Dallas just looks exhausted after going on a mini-run. The Mavs win the quarter 21-19, and suddenly our OVER of 203.5 is in jeopardy.

10:05 p.m.: Kyrie Irving seven points in the third quarter with Dallas getting blown out. His live over/under of 17.5 looks pretty inviting on the UNDER side of things. Dude just cannot make a positive difference at TD Garden. 

9:47 p.m.: Another awesome close to the quarter for Boston. The Celtics have been completely dominant. It's hard to imagine them taking their foot off the gas, but we've seen Boston unable to sustain large leads in the past. The Mavs are +17.5, if you think they still have some fight in them. We're not touching it either way. We did, however, just bet Jayson Tatum -150 to win Finals MVP. If he outscores Jaylen Brown in this game, he leads the Celts in points, assists, and rebounds and has the power of recency bias with the voting media.

9:20 p.m.: An interesting player prop we just happened upon: Derrick Jones over/under 11.5 points. He has eight already! His OVER at -115 seems like a great bet.

9:03 p.m.: What a flurry by the Celtics to close the quarter! Boston leads by 10 after forcing a bunch of turnovers and bumping up the aggressiveness. Big minutes from Sam Hauser. We love his live OVER of 6.5 at +125.

8:54 p.m.: Well, so much for both teams coming out strong. Nerves got in the way of this opening frame being a barnburner. This does create a value betting opportunity on the live over/under market, though — the live OVER is 203.5 (-115). Luka and Kyrie are 1-7 combined, while the Jays are 1-9. That won't last.

8:45 p.m.: Celtics veterans Jrue Holiday (6) and Al Horford (3) are outscoring the entire Mavs team 9-2. Might be a good time to drop a modest bet on each vet's scoring OVER. Jrue is at 17.5 (-110), Al is 10.5 (-115). They seem to be the only two guys not affected by nerves early on.

8:33 p.m.: Just about game time! Last-second bets we're locking in with Kristaps Porzingis healthy:

• Both teams to score OVER 23.5 first-quarter points (-140)
• Jayson Tatum double-double (-145)

7:50 p.m.: Here's how the BetMGM public betting report shakes out for Game 5, in terms of moneyline (ML), spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) bet and handle percentages (Bet/ticket percentage = % of ML, ATS, or O/U bets made on that team. Handle percentage = % of ML, ATS, or O/U money bet on that team). 

Our mindset remains the same: Boston will win tonight but fail to cover the spread. Both teams are treating this as a must-win situation, whether or not Jayson Tatum admitted it in press conferences this weekend. No way Dallas lets the Celtics run away with this one — but no way Boston lets the Mavs steal a second-straight W with the second one coming at TD Garden.

7:30 p.m.: One hour until game time. Here's the most bet player props for Game 5, according to BetMGM: 

• Sam Hauser under 2.5 rebounds (-165)
• Payton Pritchard under 1.5 assists (-140)
• Luka Doncic under 32.5 points (-110)
• Josh Green over 2.5 rebounds (-150)
• Kyrie Irving under 23.5 points (-110)

Betting the UNDER on Hauser rebounds — especially with juice — seems risky. He has gobbled up three-plus rebounds in three of the four games this series, and Kristaps Porzingis is still hurt. Even when Hauser's shot has been off, he has contributed in other ways — his minutes and boards won't suddenly drop out.

The Pritchard assist over/under and Josh Green rebounding over/under seem too volatile either way. Much of the time, PP puts the onus on himself to shoot and score with the basketball more so than create for others. Doncic and Irving scoring UNDERs, meanwhile, should not be bet in elimination games. These are two of the most deadly clutch players in NBA history — bet against them at your own risk. 

Celtics at Mavs: Game 5 best bets

These are the Sporting News' top betting picks ahead of Game 5. As the game draws closer, we will add bets and props to this list and offer live-betting advice and picks throughout the game. Check back early and often for more top bets.

Celtics to win first half and game (-130)

The Mavericks getting 6.5 points after coming alive in Game 4 seems scary — but not as scary as betting against the Celtics at home right now. Boston has won 45 of its 51 games at TD Garden since the start of the 2023-24 season, an NBA-best .882 home winning percentage. Its average home scoring margins, +8.7 at halftime and +14.3 full-time, also both serve as league-high marks.

Even better, the Celtics have gone 16-4 following a loss since the start of the NBA season — and Joe Mazzulla seems to have his guys doing everything but hanging their heads after the Friday night fizzle-out. Tatum and company seemed loose, focused, and unfazed in their pressers this weekend, all signs that nerves won't wind them up on Monday evening. 

Still nervous about the whole first half and game thing? The Celtics have yet to lose a first half at home this postseason. You read that right: they're 8-0-2 across 10 first halves at TD Garden during these playoffs. Unbeaten in first halves and 45-6 in full games at home!? Sounds like as solid a Game 5 combo bet as you can make.

Both teams to score 25 points in the 1st quarter (+120)

Both Dallas and Boston have scored 25-plus points in three of four first quarters during this series. The Mavs were held to just 20 points in Game 1 in Boston, while the Celtics were limited to 21 in Game 4. Other than that, we've seen some barn-burning opening frames.

The proverbial monkey seems to be off Kyrie Irving's back, now that he's won his first game in 13 tries against Boston since stomping on its logo and burning sage at the TD Garden. Luka always seems to play best at the start of the game, when he's most energized. The Celtics always seem focused in the first frame of a contest directly following a loss. 

All the factors add up to both teams scoring 25-plus in the first quarter of Game 5. With plus odds, this feels like far too much value to pass up. 

'The bright lights' SGP (+160)

• Luka Doncic to score 30+ points
• Jaylen Brown to score 25+ points

With everything on the line in an elimination/clinching game, expect the stars to shine the brightest on the game's biggest stage. Both these players have easily served as their team's MVP through the past two rounds, and they should also be the main catalysts in Game 5.

Combining these alternate player props in a mini-SGP allows us to get plus odds while also shaving down Doncic's projected over/under from 32.5 to 30. Luka has scored 30-plus in 10 of 21 playoff games, but 33-plus just five times. Trimming down 2-and-a-hook matters in these instances, especially in Boston against what should be a swarming defense.

As for Brown, who has been crucial in big moments all postseason long, 25 already feels like value. He has hit that mark in nine of Boston's 18 games, and he shoots considerably better at home than he does on the road (52.4/39.5/77.5 compared to 47.7/31.6/63.9). JB puts the cherry on top of a masterful postseason run and wins Finals MVP.

Sam Hauser rebounds: OVER 2.5 (+125)

Another prop with plus odds that yields crazy good value, Hauser OVER 2.5 rebounds almost feels like a lock.

After a tough stretch earlier in the playoffs, the sharpshooting reserve seems to have his stroke back. And with or without his three-ball going down, he has been working hard during his 13-16 minutes.

Hauser now has three-plus boards in three of Boston's past four games, a trend he should continue this evening with Porzingis once again either out or limited.

Dante Exum points: OVER 2.5 (-125)

The lesser-known players often yield the best value because they garner the least betting activity. Sportsbooks will never price the over/under of a player averaging right around the fewest minutes for his squad, because it won't help or hurt the book's bottom line very much.

Sounds like a value opportunity! Exum has given Jason Kidd's squad a much-needed spark off the bench of late, even slamming down an exclamation-point dunk in Game 4. Look for the veteran to benefit from getting aggressive early and often once again in Game 5.