Filip Tomic
Show Bio
Just 4 games are being played this Thursday in the NBA, but with a TNT doubleheader coming our way it promises to be another epic night of basketball. My focus is on the first game between Boston and Dallas, which tips off at 7:30 pm ET. I’ve prepared another Same Game Parlay, which is available below.
We will have picks on the side and total for all 4 games in our NBA predictions, so don’t forget to check those out. Let’s dive in!
Dallas Mavericks ML (+112)
Jayson Tatum over 2.5 made threes (-136)
Luka Doncic to record 10+ assists (+150)
Same Game Parlay odds: +710
You can bet this Celtics vs Mavericks Same Game Parlay at +710 odds with FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new customer offer where you can get a No Sweat Bet up to $1,000 when you sign up! Click here to take advantage of this incredible offer.
Dallas Mavericks ML (+112)
The Celtics have been playing their worst basketball of the season, dropping 2 straight games and 7 of their past 12. Meanwhile, the Mavericks enter this contest as winners of 7 straight games, so look for the home team to ride their hot streak in this game. The Celtics’ struggles were amplified in their last game against the Thunder when they surrendered 150 points to one of the league’s worst teams who were missing their best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their offense has also cooled off significantly in recent games, which has been a recipe for disaster. This is a bad sign for Boston going into a game against the hottest team in the league led by one of the best playmakers in Luka Doncic. Dallas posts the 5th-best offensive rating and should thrive in this matchup against the struggling defense that Boston brings into this game. The Celtics are due to get back on track at some point, but it’s not likely to come against the hottest team in the league playing on their home floor.
Check out our Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks predictions
Jayson Tatum over 2.5 made threes (-136)
The play of Jayson Tatum is definitely not the reason why the Celtics have slowed down as of late. The 24-year old is averaging 34 points over his last 9 games on very solid efficiency. He’s at 49% from the field and over 32% from 3-point land. Against the Mavs he had 37 points in the first meeting of the season, played at TD Garden in late November. He finished December averaging exactly 3 makes per game from downtown, and although he’s off to a somewhat slower start in January, I’m expecting him to bounce back and even out his averages. Dallas hasn’t been anything special this season when it comes to defending the perimeter. They are allowing 35.4% of made threes over their last 3 games which is 11th-worst in the NBA. With Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber out of the way, Tatum will have a ton of room on offense, so I expect him to deliver.
Ohio bettors! Check out the best Ohio promos and sign-up bonuses
Luka Doncic to record 10+ assists (+150)
With all the amazing scoring we’ve seen from Doncic lately, his assist numbers have somehow gone under the radar. He’s recorded double-digit assists in 4 of his last 7 games, and over his last 9 games he’s averaging 9.4 assists per game. In the loss to Boston earlier this season he had 42 points and 9 assists. That game was proof for Doncic that he alone cannot beat this Boston team, so in order for the Mavs to get revenge for that defeat in November he will have to get his teammates involved. Boston’s biggest problem during this stretch of poor play has been their lack of ability to stop the opposing teams’ ball movement. Teams have averaged 29.3 assists per game against them in their last 3 outings, only one team in the NBA has a worse mark than that during the stretch. Bad habits like that don’t go away overnight, so Doncic should take full advantage of that in tonight’s game.
Thursday’s NBA mega parlay comes out at +1002 odds!
Pickswise is the home of free NBA Picks and NBA Predictions. Check out the latest NBA Prop Bets and NBA Parlays as well as NBA Best Bets from our NBA experts.
