Another great start to an NBA week as we’ve got a clash of MVP candidates on the books. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics visit Doncic’s Mavericks tonight in a star-studded match that promises fireworks. An interesting point is that Kyrie Irving is playing the Celtics for the first time since the 2022 Playoffs. The star guard played for Boston for a year, before relations soured and he moved to New York City.
After losing their first home game to Denver a couple days ago, the Celtics won away to Houston in convincing fashion. They now face two more difficult away games to Dallas and Miami in a rematch of last year’s Conference Finals. This a key moment in the season for Boston, who need to continue to win to keep Milwaukee at arm’s length in the East as we approach the All-Star break. On the other hand, Dallas need to win to stay in the playoff spots in the West and avoid getting sucked into a Play-In fight.
After a couple weeks out through injury, Doncic returned last week and dropped a triple-double in a loss to the Lakers. While him and Kyrie have been on fire offensively this season, Dallas have had some defensive issues. In terms of the MVP race, Doncic is averaging an astounding 33 points per game, as well as 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Tatum, on the other hand, has played more games than Luka, and averages close to 27 points per game.
Boston has the same away record this season (13-9) that Dallas has at home, meaning this is a difficult call. A good play is Doncic to score over 31.5 points (1.80), a bet that is easily achievable. A riskier move is Dallas to win by 1-5 points (5.33), but still a realistic outcome. We give Dallas the slight edge in this game simply for the fact that the Mavs have had 5 days off – as their game against the Warriors was postponed. Who will take the victory in this clash of MVP candidates?
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Dallas Mavericks to Win – 2.25
Boston Celtics to Win – 1.68
