NBA picks: Celtics vs. Mavericks prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report

The Boston Celtics (26-12) will head to Texas to take on the Dallas Mavericks (22-16) on Thursday night at American Airlines Center. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Boston is coming off a blowout loss against the Thunder, losing 150-117 on Tuesday. It's Boston's second straight loss, while the Mavs won their seventh straight game with a 111-106 victory over the Rockets on Monday.

While the Celtics don't have any new notable injuries on their report, the Mavericks will still be without Dorian Finney-Smith, who should still be sidelined for at least another week.

The Celtics are 3-point favorites on the road tonight according to DraftKings Sportsbook, set at -145 on the moneyline. The Mavericks come in at +125 while the point total is set at 232.

Celtics vs. Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Mavericks +3

It's honestly a little surprising that the Celtics are the favorites here considering they've lost their last two games. The 33-point blowout against the Thunder, who didn't have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was particularly bad. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks are red hot, winning their last seven games with four of those wins coming on the road.

Dallas was only able to cover the spread in three of those wins, though Boston has only covered in three in its last seven outings. Doncic has been playing lights out as he's leading the league in scoring with 34.3 ppg and has scored at least 32 points in each of his last six outings.

Take the Mavericks to get the win and cover at home tonight as they look to extend their winning streak to eight.

Over/Under: Over 232

The last time these teams met in November, they cleared the over by 16 points as they racked up a total of 237. Both teams have hit the over in at least half of their games so far this season, and the Mavs are an impressive 13-7 to the over at home. With Doncic playing as well as he is, expect this game to hit over the total.

  
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