The vibes are bleak for the Mavs following what head coach Dusty May described as a "disappointing road performance" in Cleveland on Saturday night. Dallas gave up 127 points to a Cavs team that sat all five of its regular starters (Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Peyton Watson) after an FAA ground stop stranded the team in Miami overnight. Now 7-6, May's team was outscored 38-20 in the second quarter. The deficit reached 22.
The Celtics have been off since Wednesday's win in Toronto. They come in as winners of five straight, and Paul George is off the injury report after missing that game with an illness. With PG in the lineup last week, they scored 117 in Milwaukee and 123 in Philadelphia. This will be the first night of a home back-to-back for Boston, with Orlando visiting on Monday. The East's #1 team will be a big favorite in both and should like its chances to reach 12-2.
Tip-off is scheduled less than 24 hours after Saturday's game in Cleveland. Kyrie was impressive against his former team, with a game-high 34 points and seven threes. The Mavs' injury report is not yet posted after he and Cooper Flagg each played just under 40 minutes. One to keep an eye on.
Opponents have now scored 122, 133 and 127 in the Mavericks' last three games, and all three went over the total. Boston sets up to be the next beneficiary of a team that will be at a major rest disadvantage and can't seem to stop anyone right now. Adding to that, Dallas has allowed 122 on both of its second nights this season and 15 threes in three straight games. The Celtics make 16 treys a game, second in the NBA. I like the over.
Mavericks vs Celtics prediction: Over 217.5 (-115) available at time of publishing.
