Celtics vs Mavericks Prediction, Odds & Best Bets | NBA Betting (1/22): Porzingis Dominates Glass

Today’s Celtics vs Mavericks prediction and NBA best bets are brought to you by Bovada. Bovada is a market leader in sports betting, offering various options from the NBA to the UFC and everything in between.

Over half of the NBA is in action on Monday, Jan. 22 as eight games are scheduled for the night. One of the bigger matchups occurs at American Airlines Center when the league-leading Boston Celtics (33-10) visit Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (24-18) at 8:30 p.m. ET.

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1749420512197873788?s=20

The Celtics continue to show no signs of slowing down, opening up their three-game road trip with Sunday’s 116-107 victory over the Houston Rockets. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have been alternating between wins and losses for the last two weeks, most recently falling 127-110 to the Los Angeles Lakers last Wednesday.

Regarding Bovada’s futures markets, Boston is the clear-cut +300 favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA Finals while Dallas is much further back at +3500 (11th).

With further adieu, let’s get into my Celtics vs. Mavericks betting preview, featuring predictions and best bets for tonight’s inter-conference spectacle.

Celtics vs Mavericks NBA Betting Tonight (1/22)

Celtics vs Mavericks Matchup Information

• Matchup: Boston Celtics (33-10, 13-9 Away) vs. Dallas Mavericks (24-18, 13-9 Home)
• Venue & Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
• Date: Monday, Jan. 22, 2023
• Game Time: 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Celtics vs. Mavericks: NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports Southwest

Celtics vs Mavericks Odds & Spread

Mavericks vs. Celtics odds are courtesy of Bovada as of Monday, Jan. 22 at 9:24 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Celtics vs Mavericks Spread

• Boston Celtics -3.5 (-105)
• Dallas Mavericks +3.5 (-115)

Mavericks vs Celtics Over/Under

• Over 239.5 Points (-110)
• Under 239.5 Points (-110)

Celtics vs Mavericks Moneyline

• Boston Celtics (-150)
• Dallas Mavericks (+130)

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Celtics vs Mavericks NBA Betting Trends

• Boston is 2-4 straight up in its last six games vs. Dallas.
• Dallas is 4-1 straight up in its last five games as the underdog.
• Boston is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 road games vs. Dallas.
• Dallas is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games at home.
• The total hit the Under in four of Boston’s last five road games.
• The total hit the Under in five of Dallas’ last seven games vs. Boston.

Celtics vs Mavericks Prediction & Pick (1/22)

Despite having the home-court advantage, the Mavericks head into tonight’s matchup as the 3.5-point underdogs. That doesn’t come too surprising, though, as the Celtics are the No. 1 team in the NBA at the moment, rarely losing unless they’re going head-to-head with another championship-caliber team.

The Mavericks are a good team, too, but they’ve been inconsistent lately. They’re 2-3 SU in their last five games and have also lost their last two home games, being held to 108 or fewer points in both of those defeats. It’s going to take more than that to beat a Boston squad that averages the seventh-most points with the ninth-best offensive efficiency on the road.

And even though they were in action last night, the C’s typically perform well when there’s a quick turnaround, going 5-2 SU with zero days of rest this season.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are thriving in the second half of back-to-back games this season.

With as much talent as they boast, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Celtics rarely have issues playing on the road, too. Not only are they a respectable 13-9 SU in away contests thus far, but they also have victories in seven of their last 10 road games, playing to a plus-10.2 average scoring margin along the way.

Playing at American Airlines Center has been a mixed bag for Boston as of late, though. On one hand, the Celtics’ 4-6 SU record in their last 10 trips to Dallas isn’t that impressive. On the other hand, they did pick up a massive 124-95 win over the Mavericks when they last met in the Lone Star State on Jan. 5, 2023.

The Celtics could make it two wins in a row in Dallas if their three-point shooting remains strong. They average the most threes made on the seventh-highest success rate while the Mavericks’ perimeter defense isn’t amazing, allowing the 15th-most three-pointers and 14th-highest three-point percentage.

Boston also has a massive rebounding advantage, averaging 55.3 rebounds per game (3rd) to the Mavericks’ 50.4 RPG (25th).

Even though the Mavericks are the home team, facing the Celtics is usually an uphill battle for most teams.

As talented as the Mavericks are, I won’t go against the Celtics tonight. Whether it’s TD Garden or any other NBA arena, Boston knows how to show up more often than not while Dallas has been too inconsistent to trust lately. With the better rebounding and three-point consistency on their side, the C’s shouldn’t have much of a problem here.

Having said that, a 239.5-point total is too high for my liking. The Under has been consistent for both sides lately, going 5-1 in Boston’s last six games as well as 6-3 in Dallas’ previous nine. The Under is also 5-2 in the last seven Celtics-Mavericks clashes, finishing below 239.5 points in every single contest.

Unless the Celtics and Mavericks forget how to play defense, I wouldn’t anticipate a shootout tonight.

Celtics vs Mavericks Prediction: BOS wins

Best Celtics vs Mavericks NBA Bet: u239.5 Total Points (-110)

Get 50% up to $750 on this pick over on Bovada

Best Celtics vs Mavericks NBA Prop Bet (1/22)

If you’re contemplating a Celtics vs. Mavericks player prop, consider going with Kristaps Porzingis to record over 6.5 rebounds.

Porzingis heads into tonight’s action averaging 6.8 RPG. Although he hasn’t been consistently hitting the Over lately, he’s done so twice in the last four games and even though he missed the mark in two of those outings, he finished each failed effort with six rebounds, showing how close he was to coming through on this prop. He also averages more boards on the road (6.9) than he does at home (6.6).

The good news for Porzingis is that the Mavericks struggle on the glass, allowing the second-most rebounds overall as well as the fourth-most boards to centers, putting him on track to hit the Over on this prop.

Best Celtics vs Mavericks Prop Bet: Kristaps Porzingis o6.5 Rebounds (-150)

Get 50% up to $750 on this pick over on Bovada

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