Halftime Report
Only two more quarters stand between the Celtics and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. Sitting on a score of 66-59, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
The Celtics entered the matchup having won nine straight and they’re just two quarters away from another. Will they make it ten, or will the Mavericks step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics
Current Records: Dallas 34-25, Boston 46-12
How To Watch
- When: Friday, March 1, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: ESPN
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $154.00
What to Know
The Mavericks have quite the challenge ahead of them as they’re expected to be blown off the court. Their road trip will continue as they head out to face the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET on March 1st at TD Garden. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, Dallas earned a 136-125 win over the Raptors.
The Mavericks’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Luka Doncic led the charge by dropping a triple-double on 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists. Doncic is on a roll when it comes to points, as he’s now scored 26 or more in the last nine games he’s played. Kyrie Irving was another key contributor, scoring 29 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, the Celtics came tearing into Tuesday’s matchup with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.1 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past Philadelphia with points to spare, taking the game 117-99. Winning is a bit easier when your shooting is a whole 13.3% better than the opposition, as the Celtics’ was.
The Celtics’ win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jayson Tatum, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jaylen Brown, who scored 31 points along with six rebounds.
Dallas is on a roll lately: they’ve won eight of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 34-25 record this season. As for Boston, they pushed their record up to 46-12 with that win, which was their fifth straight at home.
Friday’s matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: The Mavericks just can’t miss this season, having made 48.1% of their shots per game. However, it’s not like the Celtics struggle in that department as they’ve made 48.6% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Mavericks came up short against the Celtics when the teams last played back in January, falling 119-110. Can the Mavericks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Boston is a big 10-point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Celtics, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 7.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 235.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Boston has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Dallas.
- Jan 22, 2024 – Boston 119 vs. Dallas 110
- Jan 05, 2023 – Boston 124 vs. Dallas 95
- Nov 23, 2022 – Boston 125 vs. Dallas 112
- Mar 13, 2022 – Dallas 95 vs. Boston 92
- Nov 06, 2021 – Dallas 107 vs. Boston 104
- Mar 31, 2021 – Dallas 113 vs. Boston 108
- Feb 23, 2021 – Dallas 110 vs. Boston 107
- Dec 18, 2019 – Boston 109 vs. Dallas 103
- Nov 11, 2019 – Boston 116 vs. Dallas 106
- Jan 04, 2019 – Boston 114 vs. Dallas 93
KVSP