The Dallas Mavericks are in must-win mode for Wednesday’s NBA Finals Game 3.

The good news, if there is any after losing Games 1 and 2 in Boston, is that the Mavericks are a three-point favorite and Kristaps Porzingis is injured again.

Porzingis’ status has not been confirmed yet. Boston had a closed-door practice on Wednesday morning, so anything heading into the game is purely speculation. Until, that is, we get an injury report about two hours before the game because that’s how the NBA operates.

Whether or not Porzingis plays is actually a massive deal because he’s disrupted pretty much everything Dallas has tried to do in the paint when he’s been on the floor.

A hampered Porzingis, or one that plays fewer than 20 minutes, plays to Dallas’ advantage.


While we wait for that news, one thing is clear. Dallas needs better production out of its role players.

Luka Doncic scored 62 points in the series. That’s double the second-highest total out of P.J. Washington.

Kyrie Irving has been especially terrible, with 28 points from 37 field-goal attempts.

Irving’s over/under is listed at 23.5 points, while his three-point prop sits at 2.5. He is 0-for-8 from three-point range in the series. One has to assume if Irving turns things around that he will shoot more from deep. His aggressiveness could also be dependent on how effective Porzingis is.

If you don’t trust Irving, and I get why you wouldn’t, Washington and Daniel Gafford are the other members of the supporting cast to bet on. Gafford’s role is more intriguing because he was effective in some paint mismatches in the second half of Game 2.

Gafford has been far better than Dereck Lively in the NBA Finals. The roles were reversed in the Western Conference Finals.

Gafford produced 13 points and nine rebounds in Game 2. His props sit at 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Porzingis has been coming off the bench, so maybe the Mavs look to Gafford right away to exploit the size mismatch with Al Horford.

Washington had 14 and 17 points in Games 1 and 2. He’s worth a look at over 14.5 points as well. He hasn’t been as willing to shoot three-point shots so far this series and was much more aggressive attacking the rim in Game 2.

Boston’s player props have been harder to figure out because the bulk of the points have been spread out among five players who all have more than 30 points in the series. Jrue Holiday was the scoring star in Game 2 after Porzingis put up 20 points in Game 1.

Whatever you’re using – sportsbook apps in PA or New Jersey sports betting apps – I would look more to Derrick White among the non-Jayson Tatum, non-Jaylen Brown Celtics players. He leads the Celtics in three-point shooting. A White/Washington 15-point Same Game Parlay pays around +200 depending on the book. You could even add Gafford into the mix. A White 15 point, Washington 15 point, Gafford 8 point and Gafford 6 rebounds SGP is +675 at DraftKings.

The full game under is 2-0 in the series. I’m curious to see if that moves a point down from 213.5 if Porzingis is ruled out. Boston covered the point spread in the first two games. It’s worth noting Dallas is 11-1 ATS in the postseason when they win.