Celtics vs Mavericks Odds, Predictions, Picks & Props (Jan 25)

• The Boston Celtics are 8.5-point road favorites at the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday
• Dallas has just two wins in its last seven games
• See the Celtics vs Mavericks predictions, player props, and best available odds on Jan. 25

It’s an NBA Finals rematch, though the teams aren’t looking quite like their normal selves, when the Boston Celtics (31-14, 16-6 away) visit the Dallas Mavericks (24-121, 13-9 home). Boston is coming off its worst loss of the season and has been inconsistent for months, while Dallas tries to stay afloat awaiting the return of Luka Doncic from injury. Action tips off Saturday at 5:30pm ET, from American Airlines Center in Dallas, with ABC/ESPN carrying the broadcast. Boston is still a considerable favorite in the NBA odds.

Celtics vs Mavericks Odds

Dallas is an 8.5-point home underdog in this one, with the Celtics a short -333 moneyline favorite. The scoring total is set at 222.5 points, with -110 odds on either side. The Mavericks are a dinged up unit.

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On top of Doncic (calf), Dallas won’t have Naji Marshall (illness), Dwight Powell (hip), Jaden Hardy (ankle), Dante Exum (wrist) and Dereck Lively II (ankle) available. Klay Thompson (ankle) is listed as questionable.

Boston’s only key injury is to guard Derrick White, who’s dealing with left knee soreness. White is considered day-to-day and questionable for this one.

BOS vs DAL Player Props

NBA player props from DraftKings Sportsbook on January 25.

All-star Jayson Tatum has the highest scoring prop at 26.5 points, with teammate Jaylen Brown the only other Boston player with a line higher than 20, at 21.5.

Tatum and Brown struggled last time out in Boston’s 117-96 drubbing at the hands of the Lakers, with Tatum tallying just 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting, while Brown shot 7-for-19 en route to 17 points.

Dallas’ Kyrie Irving has Dallas’ highest scoring prop at 25.5, and the top 3-point make line at 3.5. PJ Washington has the next highest scoring line for Dallas at 15.5. He’s tied with Tatum and teammate Daniel Gafford for the highest rebounding prop, at 8.5.

Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks Predictions

• Celtics vs Mavericks pick: Mavericks +8.5 (-115)
• Celtics vs Mavericks prop bet: Irving Over 25.5 points (-125)

Call it the championship hangover, or the simple grind of the 82-game season, but Boston is in a funk. Since moving to 21-5 on December 15, Boston has sputtered along, going 10-9, with the longest win streak they’ve hit being three games. The 21-point loss to the Lakers last game was the largest of the season, and it’s the fourth loss in the last five they’ve failed to crack 100 points. Boston’s offense is still a top-three unit, putting up 117.2 points per game, but during this recent stretch, that number has dropped to 113.4 points.

One thing they haven’t done, though, is lose consistently. The Celtics have only lost consecutive games once this season.

Dallas is shorthanded, but they’ve been competitive, as evidenced with two wins in the last week against the West-leading OKC Thunder, including last game, a 121-115 road win. Since losing Doncic on Christmas Day, the Mavericks have just five wins in 15 games and are scoring 109.5 points per contest, shooting 46.2% from the field and 35.1% from 3-point range. It’s just not strong enough to help out a defense that is surrendering 112.2 points over that stretch.

Including the Finals win, Boston has beaten Dallas eight times in the last nine head-to-head meetings, going 7-1-1 against the spread. But Boston is in a rough stretch, where they’ve played five games in seven days, and Saturday is the finale of a 4-game West trip.

The Celtics are 4-6-1 ATS in their last 11 road games and 4-8-1 ATS in non-conference games. The Mavericks might just be 3-4 in their last seven home games, but their point differential is minus 1.1. They might not win, but they should be within range with all those points.