Mavericks vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for January 5 (Can Boston Stop the Skid in the Lone Star State?)

Mavericks vs. Celtics Game Info

• Date: Thursday, January 5, 2023
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: American Airlines Center -- Dallas, Texas
• Coverage: TNT and NBCS-BOS

Four NBA games are lined up for Thursday, Jan. 5, including an inter-conference tilt at American Airlines Center between the Dallas Mavericks (22-16) and Boston Celtics (26-12).

The Celtics' defense was nowhere to be found when they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, ultimately losing 150-117. Meanwhile, momentum is on the Mavericks' side as they currently ride a seven-game winning streak, most recently picking up a 111-106 victory over the Houston Rockets three nights ago.

Can the Celtics avoid their third straight loss with a solid showing on the road? Or will the Mavericks win their eighth straight game with a rowdy Dallas crowd cheering them on?

Mavericks vs. Celtics Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: BOS: (-142) | DAL: (+120)
• Spread: BOS: -2.5 (-114) | DAL: +2.5 (-106)
• Total: 232 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Celtics enter this contest as slight road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 232 points, which is among the highest of Thursday's totals.

Celtics vs Mavericks Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Celtics	-2	-	-	230	-108	-112	-130	110

Mavericks vs. Celtics Betting Trends

• The Celtics won 43 games against the spread last season, while failing to cover or pushing 39 times.
• As 2-point underdogs or greater, the Mavericks went 14-13-1 against the spread last year.
• Last season, 41 Celtics games hit the over.
• Last year, 31 of the Mavericks' 82 games went over the point total.

Mavericks vs. Celtics Prediction & Pick

The Celtics are a lot better than their recent play has indicated and I expect them to turn things around tonight. After all, Boston has already proven that it can handle Dallas this season, tallying a 125-112 victory against the Mavericks back on Nov. 23. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were great that game, combining for 68 points.

And while the Mavericks have been piling up the wins lately, six of the seven victories during their recent run have come against sub-.500 teams. The Celtics are on a completely different level compared to those teams and their league-leading plus-5.2 scoring margin proves that.

At the end of the day, Luka Doncic is going to do his best to give the Celtics a headache, but Boston's superior depth will be the difference-maker. Back the Celtics winning a close one on the road to get back into the swing of things.

Final Score Prediction: Celtics: 118 | Mavericks: 115

Mavericks vs. Celtics Best Bet

Heading into tonight's game, Luka Doncic's projected point total sits at 32.5. He's had no issue putting on similar offensive performances lately, averaging 37.1 points on 63.7% true shooting. What's even more impressive is that he's gone over 32.5 points in eight of those games — including in each of the last four.

On top of that, Doncic has also finished with at least 33 points in four of his last six games against the Celtics. With Boston surrendering an average of 136.5 points in its last two contests, expect another impressive showing from the 23-year-old.

Bet: Luka Doncic — Points: Over 32.5 (-120)

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.