The Dallas Mavericks had a tough time adjusting to life without forward Caron Butler after he went down with a season-ending knee injury on New Year's Day. But the Mavs (33-15 SU, 24-22-2 ATS) seem well-adjusted now, having won six straight, and Friday they look for seven in a row when they visit the Eastern conference-leading Boston Celtics (8 pm ET, ESPN). Dallas went through a particularly bad stretch just after Butler's injury when Dirk Nowitzki was also sidelined with an injury, losing seven of the nine games he missed. But since his return, the Mavericks have re-established themselves as one of the best in the West. On Wednesday, the Mavs rolled into Madison Square Garden and had their way with the New York Knicks, not an easy feat this season. Dallas won handily, 113-97, and cashed as a 2-point road underdog. The score went over the total of 208.5. Dallas shot 50.0 percent and out-rebounded the Knicks 54-34.
In the process, Nowitzki became the 24th player to reach 22,000 points in NBA history. And Nowitzki is a beast when he faces the Celtics, averaging 27.3 points per game, his highest point average against any opponent. This will be the first game back for Boston (37-11 SU, 23-23-2 ATS) after a four-game Western road swing on which the team went 3-1 SU. The Celtics closed out the trip Tuesday with a 95-90 win over the Sacramento Kings but failed to cover as a 6.5-point road favorite. The score went under the total of 191.The trip included a 108-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the teams' first meeting since last season's seven-game NBA Finals series. Dallas and Boston are both 5-5 SU in the past 10 head-to-head, but the Celtics have a big edge against the spread at 8-2 ATS. They met once earlier this season, an 89-97 Dallas win as a 3.5-point home favorite on Nov. 8.
This article has been viewed 0 time(s).Article Submitted On: February 04, 2011
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