The Eastern Conference’s top team takes on the fourth seed of the Western Conference. Thursday night sees the Celtics and the Mavs clash for a second time this season since their meeting in November. Boston drew first blood in front of their home crowd and secured a comfortable 13-point victory. However, picking up back-to-back defeats means the squad lost some momentum leading up to the game.

The Mavs, in contrast, are blazing hot with seven-straight wins nailed down and on top of home advantage. We look forward to a heated battle between both sides and Dallas trying to even things out in their final bout of the regular season.

Celtics vs. Mavericks Game Information

"It just seemed like for whatever reason today, we let go of the rope completely … So whatever we’ve got to do to get back on track, let’s all get back on board.”

Tuesday's loss to OKC taught us a lesson in humility, and JB says it's time to respond.https://t.co/FADkcA8Bru

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2023

• When: Thursday, January 5, 2023, 7:30 PM ET
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• TV: NBCSB
• Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub (Celtics) // 97.1 The Eagle KEGL (Mavericks)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Celtics (-3.5) // Mavericks (+3.5)

READ MORE: Clippers vs. Nuggets 2023 NBA Odds and Preview – January 5th

Why Bet on the Boston Celtics?

The Celtics are an offense-heavy team that takes no prisoners. As a team, they average 118.6 points per game on 47.8%% shooting. Looking at the shooting figures, the lineup hits 57.5% of their two-point attempts while maintaining a 37.2% three-point shooting percentage–both of which are top-ten records in the league. More than that, the Celtics maximize their efforts from the free-throw line and hit 82.6% of their foul shots.

Boston enters the contest with a healthy lineup. Starting forward Jayson Tatum leads the team in scoring and rebounds with 30.75 points and 8.06 boards per game. The ever-reliable Jaylen Brown documents impressive stats as well, averaging 27.17 points and 7.08 rebounds per game. The duo is locked and loaded for Tuesday’s game, while the rest of the lineup looks healthy.

Despite a system that has scoring at its core, the Celtics are typically overlooked on the defensive end. They limit opponents to 113.3 points per game on 47.2% shooting. They have a top-ten two-point shooting defense that holds teams to 53.5% from close and mid-range.

Ultimately, there’s very little to say about Boston in terms of improvement. Although they dropped two of their last six games, it’s worth noting that they do have unstoppable moments on the road and already have a win against Dallas this season to prime the players up.

Why Bet on the Dallas Mavericks?

The Mavs have a solid shot at retaliating their earlier loss versus the Celtics last November. They won their last three home games and topped it off with two more road wins against a pair of Texan teams. Dallas is also a few wins away from the top spot of the Western Conference, which should provide the team some more motivation leading up to Thursday’s game.

Dallas averages 112.6 points per game on 47.1% shooting. They are relentless from close and mid-range, hitting 58.1% off their two-point attempts. Luka Doncic plays a pivotal role on offense and averages an incredible 34.31 points per game on top of a team-best 8.80 rebounds and 8.86 assists. He did all of this in 35 games played, while Christian Wood, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Tim Hardaway Jr. join him in the double-digit scoring figures.

Defensively, the Mavs limit opponents to 110.3 points per game on 48.0% shooting. They are not particularly the best rebounding team right now at 48.1 total boards per game but do enough on this end of the court to reach the fourth seed. The only bad news for head coach Jason Kidd is starting forward Dorian Finney-Smith’s status on game day since picking up a sprain.

Celtics vs. Mavericks Betting Trends

• The Celtics are 1-4 in the last five road games (0-5 ATS).
• The Celtics are 3-2 in the last five games (2-3 ATS).
• The totals went under in two of their last five road games.
• The Mavs are 4-1 in the last five contests versus the Celtics (3-2 ATS).
• The Mavs are 4-1 in the last five games at American Airlines Center (3-2 ATS).
• The totals went over in four of the Mavs’ last five home games.

Celtics vs. Mavericks Expert Betting Prediction

The Boston Celtics have done nothing out of the ordinary over the last two weeks that closes the gap between them and the Mavs. Boston’s defense has dipped and allowed better opponent shooting in their last five outings. Dallas, on the contrary, quietly won seven games and they’re winning at home by north of six points. Covering the spread remains a possibility for the visitors, but the Mavs are clearly the better team over the last few weeks.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2022-23 NBA season previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.