Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Nationally televised NBA action will resume Sunday mid-afternoon with a heavyweight non-conference bout between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. Coverage begins from TD Garden at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Score Prediction

Celtics 114, Mavericks 107

Best Bets

Celtics -6 (-110) at DraftKings

Mavericks vs. Celtics Predictions

After finishing fifth in the West with a record of 42-30 SU last year, the Mavericks stumbled out to a surprisingly poor start to this season, as the Mavericks opened with a lackluster 16-18 SU and 13-21 ATS skid – with five of those SU losses coming matchups they were favored in.

Dallas has successfully ridden the coattail of its defense since that opening skid though, considering the Mavericks boast sturdy records of 25-8 SU and 22-11 ATS across their last 33 games – while surrendering just 102.5 DPPG to their opponents across that timeframe.

On the other hand, Boston posted a similarly poor start to the season, as the Celtics kicked things off with a frustrating 15-20 SU and ATS skid – with ten of those SU losses coming by double-digits.

The Celtics have also turned things around with excellent defense though, considering Boston enters Sunday riding an impressive 25-8 SU and 17-16 ATS stretch – while scoring 111.4 OPPG and allowing just 101.1 DPPG across that window.

I’ll back Boston here, as the Celtics are 16-2 SU and 11-7 ATS in their last 18 games, while tallying 115.3 OPPG and allowing just 101.4 DPPG during that span – likely serving as a difficult road task for a Mavs’ squad that’s averaging just 107.7 OPPG across their latest 3-2-1 ATS stretch.

Mavericks vs. Celtics Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Mavericks vs. Celtics Betting Resources

• Matchup: Southwest vs. Atlantic
• Date: Sunday, March 13, 2022
• Venue: TD Garden
• Location: Boston, MA
• TV-Time: ABC - 3:30 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

Dallas Mavericks Betting Analysis

• SU: 41-26
• ATS: 37-29-1
• O/U: 23-43-1

After another frustrating first-round exit in last year’s playoffs, Dallas briefly kept that same ball rolling with another slow start to this season, as the Mavericks opened with a lackluster 16-18 and 13-21 ATS stretch – with ten of those losses coming by seven points or more.

The Mavericks have recently found success by leaning on their defense though, considering Dallas enters Sunday riding an impressive 25-8 SU run – while surrendering 100 PTS or less in 16 of those contests (102.5 DPPG).

Boston Celtics Betting Analysis

• SU: 41-27
• ATS: 35-32-1
• O/U: 30-36-2

After finishing seventh in the East with a record of 36-36 SU this year, Boston stumbled out to a similarly frustrating start to this season, as the Celtics opened with a head-scratching 15-20 SU skid – despite getting tagged as favorites in 22 of those contests.

The Celtics have admirably flipped the script since January though, considering Boston enters Sunday riding a red hot 25-8 SU stretch, while scoring 114+ PTS in 15 of those contests (111.4 OPPG) – and allowing 100 PTS or less in 16 of them (101.1 DPPG).

Mavericks vs. Celtics Head-to-Head

The Mavericks swept a two-game regular-season set against Boston last year, with both matchups staying under the total at an average of 219 PPG. The most recent meeting between these teams took place back in November of this season though, which resulted in another low-scoring victory for Dallas (107-104, U 212).

Key Players to Watch

• DAL: Luka Doncic - PG (28.1 PPG, 9.3 REB, 8.6 AST)
• DAL: Spencer Dinwiddie - PG (13.5 PPG, 4.3 REB, 5.6 AST)
• BOS: Jayson Tatum - SF (26.8 PPG, 8.2 REB, 4.2 AST)
• BOS: Jaylen Brown - SG (23 PPG, 6.2 REB, 3.4 AST)

Mavericks vs. Celtics Betting Conclusion

After extending their win streak to five games with a victory over Detroit on Friday night (W, 114-103), the Celtics enter Sunday’s contest as short home favorites over the Mavs’ at TD Garden – marking the 19^thstraight game that Boston has been favored in.

I’ll back Boston here, as the Mavericks are 5-1 SU and 3-2-1 ATS in their last six games, while scoring just 107.7 OPPG and allowing 106.7 DPPG during that timeframe – setting the stage for a tough road matchup against a Celtics squad that’s averaging 115.3 OPPG across their latest 16-2 SU run.

Mavericks vs. Celtics Betting Trends

• The Mavericks are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games.
• The Celtics are 4-2 ATS in their last six matchups against Dallas.
• The total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven Mavericks' games.
• The total has gone OVER in eight of the last ten Celtics' games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of the last six matchups between Boston and Dallas.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson