Preview: Celtics Welcome Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks to TD Garden
AP Photo | SOURCE: Sam Hodde
The Celtics suffered a tough loss at the hands of Zion Williamson and the Pelicans on Monday. They are now back below .500 and looking to get a win tonight against the Dallas Mavericks.
Third-year phenom Luka Doncic leads the Mavs. He’s averaging 28.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 9.0 assists a night this season. Doncic is backed up by a supporting cast of Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Richardson, and Jalen Brunson. All four of them are averaging 10 or more points on the season. The team also just acquired J.J. Redick and Nicolo Melli from the Pelicans, so they have plenty of shooting.
Dallas currently sits at 24-21, good for seventh in the Western Conference. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games but have picked up some impressive wins along the way. They’ve managed to take down the Clippers, Nuggets, and Trailblazers during that stretch.
Boston, on the other hand, has been anything but consistent this year. They handled the Bucks with ease only to struggle against the Thunder for three quarters the next night. The Celtics then went on to get demolished by the Pelicans from behind the three-point line. Boston’s defense has been lackluster all season, and that loss showed it.
Evan Fournier struggled mightily in his debut at TD Garden, shooting 0-10 from the field and 0-5 from three. Marcus Smart also had a rough night capped off by an ejection late in the fourth quarter. Tensions were running high throughout the game as the Celtics continued to battle for calls but seemingly received very few in their favor. Jayson Tatum spoke out postgame on the issue and said that the team has to continue to fight through it and not give up.
Tristan Thompson and Semi Ojeleye are listed as out for tonight’s game. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown and Romeo Langford have been upgraded to questionable. Langford has yet to take the floor for the Celtics this season. For Dallas, Tyrell Terry, J.J. Redick, and Willie Cauley-Stein are all listed as out.
Doncic hit a huge game-winner the last time these two teams met, giving Dallas the lead in the season series. Boston will look to knot it up at one apiece tonight. The Celtics tip-off against the Mavericks at 7:30 PM EST on ESPN.
