Boston at Dallas

The line for Game 3 of this series opened with Boston as the favorite but moved toward Dallas on the news of Kristaps Porzingishas' leg injury. The defensive intensity for this series has been evident in the first two games, which isn't surprising as these two battle with a league championship on the line. Boston is third in the postseason defensively in points allowed after being second during the regular season in shooting allowed, fourth at defending beyond the arc, and fifth in points surrendered. The Celtics are 33-21 UNDER the total on the road against winning teams and 19-8 UNDER on the road when the line is +3 to -3. Dallas is sixth in the playoffs in points given up and fifth in field goal shooting allowed. The Mavericks are 23-12 UNDER the total versus teams that average 116+ points, 22-10 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3, and 60-40 UNDER after allowing 105 points or less. Boston was 33-14 on the road this season, and they are 14-2 in the playoffs. Dallas will be motivated and pumped here, but will it be enough to account for the talent difference? If Porzingishas doesn't play, the Celtics' offensive production is sure to regress from what we saw during their first two wins and it all funnels toward a lower-scoring game. Take Boston/Dallas UNDER the total.