Boston Celtics (26-12, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (22-16, fourth in the Western Conference)
Dallas; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum meet when Dallas hosts Boston. Doncic ranks first in the NBA averaging 34.3 points per game and Tatum ranks fourth in the league averaging 30.8 points per game.
The Mavericks are 15-5 on their home court. Dallas is 7-5 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Celtics are 11-7 on the road. Boston is third in the Eastern Conference with 34.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Tatum averaging 7.0.
The teams square off for the second time this season. In the last matchup on Nov. 24 the Celtics won 125-112 led by 37 points from Tatum, while Doncic scored 42 points for the Mavericks.
TOP PERFORMERS: Doncic averages 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Mavericks, scoring 34.3 points while shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc. Christian Wood is shooting 52.2% and averaging 17.7 points over the last 10 games for Dallas.
Tatum is averaging 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and four assists for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown is averaging 27.2 points over the last 10 games for Boston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 8-2, averaging 116.7 points, 39.6 rebounds, 22.5 assists, 6.0 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points per game.
Celtics: 5-5, averaging 116.5 points, 47.0 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.9 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Maxi Kleber: out (hamstring), Josh Green: out (elbow), Dorian Finney-Smith: out (adductor).
Celtics: Danilo Gallinari: out for season (knee), Robert Williams III: out (knee).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
