Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Picks and Player Props January 5
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his predictions and player prop picks for tonight’s Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics clash from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Mavericks won their first matchup against the Celtics 125-112 as this will be the final game between these two this regular season.
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Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Betting Odds
| Thursday, January 5 | NBA Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Dallas Mavericks +2.5 vs Boston Celtics |
| Total: | 232 Points |
| Arena: | American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX |
| Game Time: | 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT |
| TV: | TNT |
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Betting Analysis
The Boston Celtics head to the American Airlines Center for an interconference clash with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. The Mavericks are coming off their 7th straight victory 111-106 in Houston against the Rockets.
The Celtics were embarrassed last time out in a 150-117 shellacking in Oklahoma City against the Thunder. Boston prevailed in a 125-112 victory at home over Dallas on November 23rd. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PST as the first game of a TNT Thursday night doubleheader.
Mavericks Look To Make It Eight Straight
The Dallas Mavericks improved to 22-16 on the season after winning their 7th consecutive game on Monday in Houston. The difference in the game came at the charity stripe where Dallas went 30-34 for 88.2% compared to Houston going only 21-29 for 72.4%.
Luka Doncic continued his otherworldly play as he was the games leader in all three categories with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr both added 21 points to the cause. The Mavericks still rank below average on the season in scoring at 19th with 112.6 points per game.
Defense has been their calling card from a scoring aspect at 5th with 110.3 points allowed per game despite sitting at only 17th in defensive rating. Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber have all already been ruled out for this contest with various injuries.
Celtic Pride
The Boston Celtics record dipped to 26-12 on the season after getting dismantled by 33 points against the Thunder on Tuesday. They allowed Oklahoma City to shoot 58-98 from the field for 59.2% as they shot only 40-88 for 45.5%.
The Celtics were outscored 70-46 in the paint despite OKC missing their superstar and elite PITP scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jaylen Brown actually led all scorers with 29 points on 11-18 from the field.
Jayson Tatum scored 27 and Malcolm Brogdon & Payton Pritchard each added 17 off the bench. The Celts are still the leagues #1 scoring offense with 118.6 points a game on 47.8% from the floor.
They currently sit at 8th in defensive rating but 15th in defensive scoring with 113.3 points allowed per game. Boston currently sports a clean injury report, a breath of fresh air nowadays.
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Player Prop Prediction
The Boston Celtics enter this game as 3 point road favorites with a total set at 232.5. This should be an outstanding matchup as these teams could wind up playing each other in the NBA Finals.
Dallas has gotten the better of Boston with Doncic buzzer-beaters during the last few seasons but Boston got their revenge in November. Jayson Tatum will be looking to put his team on his back after getting embarrassed as they allowed an SGA-less Thunder team to score 150 points against them.
Tatum has fallen short of his 30.5 point total in his last three games but scored 25+ in all three. He had scored 30+ in the six games prior to those three. The Mavs on defensive weakness is against opposing wings and they will be without their best defender in Dorian Finney-Smith.
Tatum scored 37 points against Dallas in their November showdown despite Finney-Smith playing full minutes in that game. Tatum should be looking to fire away and when he has taken 20+ shots, he has cleared this total in 17 of 23 games. Look for Tatum to score early and often to push him up and over this point total.
Prediction: Jayson Tatum Over 30.5 Points -122 Caesars
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NBA Tip-Off Show | January 5
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of professional handicappers for the NBA Tip-Off Show as we preview tonight’s NBA card from a betting perspective. We’ll go well beyond the Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of pro sports bettors as they offer some of their favorite NBA best bets, player props and DFS recommendations on tonight’s slate.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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