Boston Celtics (26-12) vs. Dallas Mavericks (22-16)
January 5, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Dallas Mavericks +2; Over/Under: +225
(Get latest betting odds)
The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks meet Thursday in NBA action at the American Airlines Center. The Boston Celtics have split their last 8 games. The Dallas Mavericks have won 7 straight games.
The Boston Celtics are averaging 118.6 points on 47.8 percent shooting and allowing 113.3 points on 47.2 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 30.8 points and 8.1 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 27.2 points and 3.3 assists. Malcolm Brogdon is the third double-digit scorer and Marcus Smart is grabbing 3.4 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc and 82.6 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 36.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.7 rebounds per game.
The Dallas Mavericks are averaging 112.6 points on 47.1 percent shooting and allowing 110.3 points on 48 percent shooting. Luka Doncic is averaging 34.3 points and 8.9 assists, while Christian Wood is averaging 17.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie is the third double-digit scorer and Tim Hardaway Jr. is grabbing 3.1 rebounds. The Dallas Mavericks are shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc and 74.1 percent from the free throw line. The Dallas Mavericks are allowing 35.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 38.9 rebounds per game.
The Celtics are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The Mavericks are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Thursday games and 10-22-2 ATS in their last 34 games overall. The under is 9-3-1 in Celtics last 13 road games. The over is 4-1 in Mavericks last 5 overall. The Celtics are 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings in Dallas.
The Boston Celtics have done nothing over the last two weeks that makes me want to get behind them in the favorite role. The Celtics defense has fallen off a cliff, and they’re allowing 50.8 percent shooting in their last 5 games. The Dallas Mavericks have quietly won 7 straight games, and they’re winning at home by an average of 6.9 points. I’ll grab the free bucket here.
