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The Boston Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since last season’s NBA Finals at 7:30 PM on TNT. After winning in Dallas last month 122-107, the Celtics are looking for the season sweep. Luka Doncic did not play in that loss. Now, he is gone altogether. The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend in a six-player, three-team deal that netted them Anthony Davis and Max Christie. While the transaction is stunning on several levels, Dallas had been without their five-time All-Star since suffering a calf strain on Christmas Day. The Mavericks went 7-12 without Doncic in the lineup before the trade.
The Celtics are starting to come around after an uneven month of play. Boston has won four straight after going just 10-9 in its previous 19 games. That includes last night’s 112-105 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. The team is currently second in the Eastern Conference at 36-15.
Dallas continues to struggle. Without Doncic, and with Davis yet to debut, the team lost its third straight last night to the 76ers. The defeat dropped Dallas down to 11th in the Western Conference, although it is just 2.5 games back of the sixth-place Los Angeles Clippers.
Boston won last year’s NBA Finals series with the Mavericks in five games, including all three contests in Boston. It was the Celtics’ NBA-leading 18th championship, and the franchise is looking to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 1968-69. In last month’s win, all five starters scored in double figures.
With Davis missing Tuesday’s game, this matchup could be his debut. Let’s review each team’s recent performance while previewing this matchup and making a Mavericks vs Celtics NBA pick.
The new-look Mavericks have not premiered yet. In its first contest following the Doncic trade, Dallas was extremely short-handed and suffered by far their worst loss of the season, 144-101, at Cleveland on Sunday. The team was without Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. The short-handed Mavs dressed just 10 players and surrendered 91 first-half points to the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers. Jaden Hardy, who averages just 8.4 points this season, led Dallas with 21 points.
In Tuesday’s loss to the Sixers, Irving had 34 points and nine rebounds, Naji Marshall had 19 points, and Christie scored 15 points in his Mavs debut. Davis sat out with an abdominal muscle strain.
Jayson Tatum had 22 points and seven assists, Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Jaylen Brown added 16 points and nine rebounds in the Celtics’ win over Cleveland on Tuesday. Boston has taken 2-of-3 so far this season from the Cavs.
Before that, the Celtics had won three straight, with the team’s Big Three (Tatum, Brown and Porzingis) leading them in scoring along the way. Porzingis had 34 points and 11 rebounds to lead Boston past the Chicago Bulls, 122-100. Brown had 28 points and six rebounds in Boston’s 118-116 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, and Tatum led the Celtics with 35 points and 11 assists as Boston rallied from 26 points down to defeat the 76ers Sunday night, 118-110.
Tatum leads the Celtics in scoring with 26.8 per game, to go with a team-leading 8.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He’s followed by Brown at 23.1 ppg. Porzingis, back in the lineup and healthy, is adding more than 19.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Dallas is picking a bad time on its schedule to face the recently resurgent defending champs – and that’s if Davis is able to play. If the Mavericks are short-handed again for this one, the result could be similar to Sunday’s pasting by the Cavaliers.
For the Celtics, regaining some momentum just ahead of the All-Star break is key. Nobody in Boston is worried. These are the dog days of the NBA season, and the team is beginning to emerge unscathed and healthy for the playoff run. With Porzingis healthy and back in the starting lineup, coach Joe Mazzulla has all of his pieces set.
Look for the Celtics’ Big Three to again fill up the stat sheet, led by Tatum, who should go for 25 or more points tomorrow night.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.