Getty The Celtics will be without Kemba Walker against the Nets.
The Dallas Mavericks are fresh off their most impressive victory of the season, without their best player. Dallas ended the Bucks’ 18-game winning streak on Monday night with a 120-116 win in Milwaukee. Now the Mavs return to Dallas to square off against another one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics (17-7) are trying to halt a two-game losing streak and are coming off a 115-109 home loss to the Sixers last Thursday. Boston has had five days off but will still be without guard Marcus Smart on Wednesday night in Dallas. Smart is out with an injured eye and has not played since December 6.
The Mavericks (18-8) received boosts on Monday from Seth Curry and Kristaps Porzingis, who each scored 26 points as Luka Doncic sat out with a sprained right ankle. It was the Mavs first game without the MVP hopeful who could be sidelined for a few weeks.
ESPN’s FPI gives the Mavs a 55.9% chance of winning this game. We break down the line and offer our best bets and analysis for Wednesday’s matchup between the Celtics and Mavericks.
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Celtics vs. Mavericks Game Details
Date: Wednesday, December 18
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)
TV: ESPN
Spread: Celtics -3
Total: 218.5
*All lines, odds, and trends are courtesy of Covers & The Action Network
Line Movement
This line opened at Celtics -1 and has been bet up to Celtics -3 at most books with the majority of the action and large majority of the money coming in on Boston. This line is correlated with the action and is moving with the market.
Betting Trends
- Celtics are 17-7 SU and 14-8-2 ATS this season
- Mavericks are 18-8 SU and 16-10 ATS this season
- Under is 14-10 in Celtics games this season
- Over is 18-8 in Mavericks games this season
Analysis & Picks
These two teams played about six weeks ago in Boston with the Celtics scoring a 116-106 victory over the Mavs. Kemba Walker poured in 29 points and had a trio of key three-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Boston shot 42.9% from three-point range in the victory making 15-of-35 from the arc. The Mavs will have to do a better job this time around defending the three-point line. Luka Doncic led all scorers with 34 points in the game. Obviously, Luka will not be a factor this time around and I expect Dallas to rely heavily on Seth Curry and Kristaps Porzingis, who have both filled the scoring void in the absence of Doncic. The Mavs have won owned this series in Dallas winning seven of the last nine meetings at home. This feels like a good spot to fade Dallas after their best win of the season. The line is very telling here as the Celtics opened as a road favorite and the line has continued to move towards Boston.
PICK: Celtics -3
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Follow Jared Smith on Twitter: @jaredleesmith