The Dallas Mavericks were a pleasant surprise early in the regular season but reality has hit hard of late. Dallas is in a rut and falling further out of the playoff race in the competitive Western Conference. Dallas would like to get back in the mix but has a tough matchup next time out when it hits the road to face off against the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics haven’t played quite as well as expected thus far but still has a bunch of talent and is expected to compete for the Eastern Conference crown. Boston will be a sizable favorite in this matchup as the home court has been good to the Celtics this season in NBA odds.
This NBA basketball game between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics will be held at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, January 4th, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The Mavericks are 17-19 on the season. They were over .500 not too long ago but have lost eight of their past 10 games. The Western Conference is tightly bunched together so Dallas has fallen far in the last couple of weeks.
The Celtics have a mark of 21-15 overall. They are currently in fifth place in the East after beginning the season as the favorites to win the conference. Boston is still within striking distance of all four teams above it but needs to start reeling off some win streaks to catch up. Boston has won 11 of its 16 home games this season.
Key Stat
2. That’s the number of victories Dallas has on the road this year in a whopping 18 games. The Mavericks have been great at home but that success has not traveled at all. Dallas beat the lowly Bulls on the road in mid-November and knocked off the Rockets in Houston a couple of weeks later.
The Mavericks have not had any road success since then with an 0-9 mark. Dallas was blown out by the Thunder on New Year’s Eve and absolutely has to start playing better on the road if there is any hope of making it to the playoffs.
The Celtics are a good team playing at home, which will make it tough for the Mavericks to end their drought in this one.
Injury Report
Boston star point guard Kyrie Irving suffered a scratched eye in the team’s 120-111 loss to the Spurs on Monday. Coach Brad Stevens said he will take some antibiotics for the injury but it’s unclear if Irving will miss time.
If Irving is not able to play in this game, it should lower Boston’s chances of winning the game. The Celtics will still be the favorites but the spread won’t be as high. Irving is the team’s best player, averaging 23.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three-point range.
Stay updated on Irving’s status as it is an important factor in this matchup.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Mavericks have shown some promise this season but have struggled lately and had road issues all year. Even if Irving cannot play, Boston is the far superior team. The Celtics are the easy choice to win this game, but the spread could be pretty big, so the Mavericks may be the right call to cover.
This one might not have a ton of scoring so consider the “under” in NBA wagering.
NBA ATS Pick: Boston Celtics 109, Dallas Mavericks 99
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