Game: Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Odds: Mavericks +4.5, Celtics -4.5
Total: 218.5
The first game of a six-game home stretch for the Boston Celtics starts tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Tonight’s game also features a battle between the two NBA teams with the highest power rankings.
Despite Josh Green’s career-high 23-point performance against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks lost 98-97. The Nuggets used a 24-18 third quarter against the Mavericks to overturn a halftime deficit and win despite playing without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon.
Jason Kidd, the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, claimed that his team struggled to get going in the second half. Sunday wasn’t the first time Dallas has suffered defeat at the hands of a team playing shorthanded. The Mavericks lost to a Washington Wizards team without its top two players, Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal. They also dropped a game against Orlando without No. 1 draft pick Paolo Banchero and lost to New Orleans without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
Boston’s nine-game winning streak came to an end on Monday when they dropped a 121-107 decision to the Chicago Bulls. Boston committed 15 turnovers which resulted in 22 Chicago fast-break points.
Chicago would end its own four-game losing streak by making 14 three-pointers as well.
Boston shot 43.7 percent from the field, significantly below their season average of 48.7 percent. The Celtics rank third in the NBA in field goal percentage. In addition to not shooting well, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla said that the Bulls just wanted to win more.
Celtics point guard Marcus Smart returned to action on Monday after missing the previous two games because of an ankle injury. He finished with eight points, eight assists, and one rebound in 35 minutes. Two of the NBA’s top scorers, Jayson Tatum of Boston and Luka Doncic of Dallas, will both participate in the game tonight. Doncic enters the game averaging 33.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He leads the league in scoring. Tatum scores 30.2 points, pulls down 7.6 rebounds, and averages 4.6 assists per game.
If he plays tonight, Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie might not be 100 percent. In the fourth quarter of their loss to Denver on Sunday, Dinwiddie dislocated his left shoulder. He missed practice on Monday and is currently listed as questionable. In his last ten games, Dinwiddie has averaged 17.6 points per game.
In its last five home games, Boston has gone 5-0 SU. In their last 10 games, the Celtics have a 9-1 SU record. In their last seven games, they have gone 5-2 ATS. In its last eight road games, Dallas is 0-8 SU. The Mavs are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games overall and 4-1 SU in their last five contests with Boston and has won the last three in a row. The Under is the trend in Mavs-Celtics games. The Under is 6-3-1 in the last ten games. The two teams have averaged 209.3 points per game.
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