Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 3/31/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics

Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Odds/Point Spread: Dallas (+1.5)

The Boston Celtics (23-24) host the Dallas Mavericks (24-21) at TD Garden on Wednesday. Boston opens this contest as 1.5-point favorites. The total is set at 223.5.

The Dallas Mavericks faced off with the Oklahoma City Thunder and took home the win by a score of 127-106 in their last contest. Dallas walked away from the game having earned a 53.1% FG percentage (51 of 96) and knocked down 16 of their 44 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Mavericks made 9 of their 13 attempts for a rate of 69.2%. In regard to rebounding, they collected 43 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 30 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and having 11 steals. When it comes to defense, Dallas let their opponent shoot 46.9% from the floor on 38 of 81 shooting. Oklahoma City earned 17 assists and had 8 steals for the game. In addition, Oklahoma City snagged 47 rebounds (10 offensive, 37 defensive) and added 3 blocked shots. Oklahoma City finished the game shooting 63.6% when shooting free throws by knocking down 21 of their 33 tries. They also buried 9 of their 26 attempts from three-point range.

Luka Doncic is a guy who was a contributor for the game. He left the arena with 25 points on 9 out of 17 shooting. He saw the court for 27:39 minutes played and snagged 3 rebounds. Doncic ended up shooting 52.9% from the floor and totaled 7 assists. An additional guy that came through in this matchup for the Mavericks was Kristaps Porzingis. He collected 9 rebounds in his 27:26 min on the basketball court. He finished the contest at 60.0% from the field in the matchup by connecting on 9-of-15 (20 points). In all, Porziņģis had 5 assists.

Dallas comes into this game with a record of 24-21 on the campaign. They turn the ball over 12.2 times per game and as a unit are committing 19.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Dallas is pulling down 43.2 rebounds per game and has accumulated 1,023 dimes so far this season, which is 28th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Mavericks are connecting on 35.9% on three-point attempts (611 of 1,701) and 78.1% from the charity stripe. They average 112.2 pts per contest (17th in basketball) while connecting on 47.1% from the field. On defense, the Mavericks are able to force 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.4 fouls. They give up 37.0% on 3-point shots and they are 11th in the league in PPG allowed (110.9). The Mavericks defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.0% (569 of 918) and they surrender 44.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 2nd in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,024 surrendered for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Boston Celtics took a defeat with a final score of 115-109 when they played the New Orleans Pelicans. The Celtics recorded 34 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 for the game. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while recording 5 steals in this contest. The Pelicans were called for 21 fouls in this matchup which got the Celtics to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They were able to make 15 of those for a rate of 78.9%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, Boston made 14 of their 43 attempts (32.6%). When all was said and done, the Celtics shot 40 for 93 from the floor which had them sitting at 43.0%. The Celtics permitted the Pelicans to bury 41 out of 82 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0% in this matchup. They wrapped up this game 51.6% from distance by shooting 16 out of 31 and ended up shooting 17 of 30 at the free throw line (56.7%). When it comes to rebounds, Boston permitted New Orleans to snag 47 in total (8 offensive).

Jayson Tatum was important for the Celtics for this contest. He converted 12 of 25 in this game for a rate of 48.0%, and tallied 9 rebounds. Tatum recorded 34 points in his 40:07 mins on the hardwood and had 5 dimes for this contest. One more player that ended up playing a role for Boston was Kemba Walker. He came away with 4 assists in his 33:04 mins on the court, and he knocked down 8 of 18 from the floor. Walker wrapped this one up going 44.4% from the field while collecting 23 points and 4 total rebounds.

Boston has a mark of 23-24 on the season. As an offense, the Celtics are hitting on 46.9% from the floor, which ranks 13th in the NBA. Boston has tallied 5,278 points for the year (112.3 per game) and they pull in 44.0 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 22.9 times per contest (24th in the league) and they are giving up possession 13.9 times per contest. The Celtics have committed 20.6 personal fouls per contest and they go 76.1% from the charity stripe. The Celtics on the defensive side of the court are 15th in the NBA in points given up per game with 111.3. The Boston defense allows 37.1% on 3-pointers (603 of 1,627) and opponents are making 78.3% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 23.6 assists and 42.5 total boards per game, which has them ranked 7th and 6th in the NBA. They have forced 14.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.6% from the floor (14th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Dallas (+1.5)

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