Will Boston destroy the Doncic-less Mavs?
Game 3 after the Mavs earthquake around Luka Doncic and the Mavericks have not been able to win since. It is also rather unlikely that this will happen in our Celtics vs. Mavericks tip in Boston’s TD Garden.
After all, the Celtics are considered the big favorites for this year’s NBA title and are already in second place in the East again this season. Dallas, on the other hand, are only ranked eleventh in the West after three consecutive defeats, so they would currently even miss the playoffs.
Although it will hurt all Mavs fans, we don’t see a scenario in which the Mavs will triumph in Boston. Especially not since their new signing from the Doncic trade, Anthony Davis, will not be able to play.
So our prediction for Boston vs. Dallas is a clear home win for the Celtics, who would thus further reduce the gap to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving won’t be able to change that, even though he’ll naturally be particularly motivated against his former team.
Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks – that means a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals. However, the Mavs in particular are currently light years away from a repeat of this finals pairing. Actually, only the Mavs’ general manager, Nico Harrison, somehow expects it.
The Celtics, however, are on course to defend their title from last year. They were able to beat their arch-rivals in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 112:105 on Tuesday – and that was an away game.
Celtics superior in all respects
So now it’s against the Mavericks, who have not been able to win since Doncic left and have no rhythm on the field at all. This is where Boston has to start and not let this rhythm develop at any time.
If there is one team that can do it, it is the Celtics. They can change the pace of a game better than any other team in the league. It’s not for nothing that they are among the top 5 teams in the NBA in both defense (def-rating of 109.6) and offense (117.2 points per game).
Tips on Celtics highly recommended
This puts them well ahead of the Mavs in both statistics, who also currently have no real go-to guy on the court. Irving could perhaps be described as such, but due to his age, he is no longer as unstoppable as he used to be.
All in all, the odds for Boston are clearly better in the game between Celtics and Mavericks, even with a handicap of up to -10.5 points. This game could already be decided towards the middle of the last quarter, which makes a tip on under-points for Boston against Dallas interesting as well.
Key Players:
- PG: Jrue Holiday
- SG: Derrick White
- SF: Jaylen Brown
- PF: Jayson Tatum
- C: Kristaps Porzingis
Dallas Mavericks – Statistics & current form
It is still completely absurd to write articles about the Mavericks at the moment, because neither every fan nor every journalist or betting expert has any idea in which direction this franchise will develop.
Or rather, at what speed it will now go downhill. We even expect the Mavs to have trouble making the playoffs this season. Currently, they are one win behind the Warriors, who, however, also want to strengthen their team before the trade deadline.
Mavericks in no man’s land
That Anthony Davis of all people will save them – hard to imagine. The two games against the Cavs and the 76ers in particular highlighted the Mavs’ big problems: they are designed as a 3-point shooting team, but without consistently scoring.
Against Philly, it was only 33.3% in the end, and against the Cavs it was only 20.9%. And trading Doncic for Davis is not likely to improve these statistics. As long as AD is not on the field, their defense will not get any better either.
This could also become a huge problem against the Celtics. Even if the Mavs want to come out on top in the future with their defense, there is currently no sign of it, which makes the betting odds for Celtics vs. Mavs playable on Over 119.5 Celtics points as a tip.
Mavs a bag of wonders in the future
In general, we would not recommend betting in favor of the Mavericks in the next few weeks, because not only for Celtics vs. Mavericks is our prediction a completely unsettled Mavs team – no, it could take a few more weeks for this newly structured team to find itself.
Then again, it might actually be too late to qualify for the post-season. If betting providers offer odds on tips for a playoff qualification – betting against the Mavs could become a lucrative proposition here.
Key Players:
- PG: Dante Exum
- SG: Kyrie Irving
- SF: Klay Thompson
- PF: P.J. Washington
- C: Daniel Gafford
Boston Celtics – Dallas Mavericks Head-to-head / H2H record
This duel has already taken place this season. The Celtics won by a clear margin of 122:107 two weeks ago – incidentally with a similar Mavs lineup to the one that could be on the court on Thursday night (Irving, Dinwiddie, Thompson, Washington, Gafford).
Back then, the game even took place in Dallas and not in Boston like on Thursday. Another point in favor of the Celtics odds in Boston vs. Dallas. There could also be a similar winning margin as two weeks ago (+15).
Incidentally, Boston is five wins in a row against Dallas in the regular season. And then there was never an NBA Finals series last June that also ended 4-1 in favor of the Celtics.
Boston Celtics – Dallas Mavericks betting tip
The Celtics are on track again this season, while the Mavs have completely lost their way. Even without the disastrous trade of Luka Doncic, they would only be partially competitive this season.
So our clear betting tip for the Celtics against Mavericks is Boston -10.5. If the 10.5 is too much of a handicap for you, you can also bet on a combination of Celtics + Over 15.5 points from Derrick White. We currently believe the guard can score over 15 points in every game.
Alternatively, several player bets are also an option. In addition to the over-points of Derrick White already mentioned, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis are also possible here. We see all three of them as having clear advantages in their matchups against Dallas.
