Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics NBA Betting Preview

Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics NBA Betting Preview[12Bet.com]

Friday, February 04, 2011 12:00 AM ET

On the back of a solid road trip, the Boston Celtics (37-11 SU, 22-23 ATS) return home to take on the Dallas Mavericks (33-15 SU, 25-21 ATS) who seem to finally be finding some form. The NBA odds makers have the Celtics as six point favorites, can Dirk and co get the upset win?[12Bet.com]

The Boston Celtics should be well rested and decompressed from a four game road swing that saw them go 3-1 straight up and 2-2 against the spread.  The last time the Green saw action was Tuesday night when the Sacramento Kings caught the Celtics flat footed coming out of the gate and drove to a 54-45 lead at the half.  The Celtics did what they do best in the second half and that was put the defensive clamps on the
Sacramento offense and ultimately came away with a 95-90 victory which didn’t surprise us as we wrote that the Celtics would win but the Kings would cover.
[12Bet.com]

The Dallas Mavericks are in a serious groove.  They have won their last 6 games and covered the number in four of those contests.  Wednesday night they absolutely hammered the Knicks 113-97 but will need to be clicking on all cylinders against the Beasts of the East, the Boston Celtics.  If you’re looking for the key to Dallas’s success this season you must first look to the big German, Dirk Nowitzki, who has been the lynchpin for the Mavericks since he arrived.  However, the one key piece that the Mavs have lacked for years is a big body in the middle, capable of scoring points. 

Welcome to Dallas, Tyson Chandler!  Chandler has had a renaissance in Dallas after battling a series of injuries.  He’s recaptured the passion and the athleticism from a few years ago when he was banging bodies in the paint for New Orleans.  Chandler has been more than Dallas bargained for and has posted 3 double doubles in his last four games.  Over his last 5 games he has averaged 17.4 points and over 10 rebounds per game.  That big presence has freed up Nowitzki and allowed the perennial All-Star to torch the opposition.[12Bet.com]

Although the Mavericks are feeling it and delivering nothing but W’s lately, it should be noted they are doing it while Captain Clutch, Dirk Nowitzki is still not fully recovered from his sprained knee suffered in December and also without the services of Caron Butler who is lost for at least the regular season with a ruptured tendon in his knee.  Dallas has also recently acquired noted Mavericks slayer, Peja Stojakovic, who is certainly not the silky smooth assassin he once was from 3 point range but hopefully can provide Dallas with some perimeter shooting even though he has been racked with injuries this season.  Stojakovic will not be in uniform for this meeting at the Garden but may be a factor down the road for Dallas [12Bet.com]. 

The Celtics have been giving the rest of the league fits this year with their focus on defense.  They execute superbly and have a point guard in Rajon Rondo who is among the league’s best.  He is the talented quarterback of this team and his receivers are all future Hall of Famers in Garnett, Pierce and Shaq while a case could certainly be made for the prolific Ray Allen at shooting guard.  If the Celtics were good before, they just got better with the addition of center Kendrick Perkins.  Perk has been rehabbing from injury all season and has finally returned although it’s difficult to argue with the job that the tandem of Big Baby Glen Davis and Shaquille O’Neal has done in his absence. [12Bet.com]

In their only meeting thus far, Nowitzki led the way with 25 points in a defensive struggle where the Mavs prevailed 89-87 at home.  However, the venue will be the Garden on Friday night and while the Celtics will be rested, Dallas will be catching their breath from Wednesday night’s triumph over the Knicks and then hopping a plane immediately after the game to play Charlotte on Saturday night.  That’s three games in four days for the Mavs against a team that is 22-3 in front of the friendlies.   The Celtics will be well rested and invigorated for their first game back home after traveling west and are laying a big number on the NBA betting board against the talented Mavericks but there’s a reason…because they’ll cover it. [12Bet.com]

Free NBA Pick: Play the Celts -6 on Friday night.[12Bet.com]

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