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The Dallas Mavericks play on the road for the third straight game as they travel East to take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night at the TD Garden in Boston.
The Mavs’ road struggles this season are well-documented but on Wednesday, they grabbed a rare road win over the Charlotte Hornets that put them just one game below the .500 mark. The Celtics meanwhile got a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves despite playing without star Kyrie Irving who has an eye inflammation.
Finally, A Road Win
The Dallas Mavericks have been notoriously flat on the road this season but on Wednesday, the Mavs hit a franchise record 10 first quarter three pointers to end a nine game road losing streak and beat the Charlotte Hornets 122-84. Dallas entered that game a league-worst 2-16 on the road this season but their first quarter barrage broke them out of their road slump.
Dallas is averaging 110.9 points per game which is 17th best in the league right now. The Mavs are 22nd in passing with 22.9 assists per game and are 11th in rebounding at 45.8 boards per contest. Defensively, Dallas is allowing 109.7 points per game, ranking them in the middle of the pack at #15 overall.
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics 1/4/19
Moneyline Odds: Mavericks +170, Celtics – 200
Odds from bet365 as of 1/4/19
Hayward’s Best Game Of The Season
After Kyrie Irving was ruled out of Boston’s Wednesday’s game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Gordon Hayward stepped up to score 35 points on 14-18 shooting to lead the Celtics to a 115-102 home win over the Wolves. Hayward has struggled to find his old form in his first season back after a gruesome leg injury last year but if Wednesday was a sign of things to come, Boston is in good hands even without Kyrie again on Friday.
The Celtics are the 12th top scoring team in the NBA at 111.7 points per game. Boston is also ranked 7th in assists at 35.6 dimes per contest and are 16th in rebounding at 45.0 boards per game. The men in green are the owners of the 6th best scoring defense in the league and are allowing their opponents to score just 105.9 points per game this season.
Who Wins?
Dallas is 3-8 SU in their last 11 games played and the Mavericks are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played on the road. Boston is 12-5 SU in their last 17 games played and the Celtics are 12-5 SU at home this season. Head to head, the Mavericks are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings.
Anytime Dallas is on the road this season, it’s hard to put your trust in them. The Mavs have won just thrice away from home this season and while they are coming off a road win against the Hornets, the Mavs are woeful on the road this season.What the Mavs have though over the Celtics is the fact that they are healthy and Boston is not.
Celtics star Kyrie Irving is expected to miss his second game with an eye inflammation. In his absence though, Gordon Hayward stepped up with a season high 35 to lead the C’s to a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Given Boston’s “next man up” mentality, the Celtics should have no problem making up for Irving’s absence. The Celtics have also been solid at home this season and should take care of business against the Mavs.
We’re picking the Boston Celtics to beat the Dallas Mavericks on 1/4/19
Other Bets To Make
The Mavericks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played and Dallas is 4-1 ATS in their last five games on the road. The Celtics are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games played and Boston is 11-6 ATS at home this season. Head to head, the Mavericks are 5-3 ATS in their last 8 games against the Celtics.
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics 1/4/19
Spread Odds: Mavericks +5 (-109), Celtics -5 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/4/19
This hasn’t been the start the Celtics were expecting but at least they are winning against the middle and low tier teams. Boston is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games after a double digit SU win in their previous outing, 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a road winning percentage of below .400 and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with losing records. Dallas is coming off a road win although that doesn’t erase the fact that they are 3-16 on the road this season.
Prediction: Celtics -5
The over is 10-8-1 in 19 road games played by the Mavericks this season. The total has gone over in Boston’s last five games played. The over is also 11-6 in the Celtics’ 17 home games this season. Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last nine meetings between these two teams.
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics 1/4/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 215 -109, Under 215 -109
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/4/19
These are two teams who can put on an offensive show at the TD Garden and even with Boston missing players due to injury, Brad Stevens has a deep well of a rotation to work with. Scoring won’t be a problem in this back and forth affair.
Prediction: Over 215
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