NBA on TNT DraftKings Preview: MVP Candidates Go Head-to-Head

We’re back with another preview of NBA on TNT as we turn the calendar to 2023. Thursday night’s matchup gives us two of the top tier candidates for MVP as the Dallas Mavericks welcome the Boston Celtics to town.

Yes, we get Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatutm. Nice.

So, let’s get down to it and try to break down what odds are in our favor:

DraftKings Betting Odds

Boston Celtics (26-12) vs. Dallas Mavericks (22-16)

Boston Celtics (-3); Mavericks ML +125

O/U 232.5

Let’s break it down and start with the counting stats. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA, however, they are sitting on a 2-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are on the rise with a 7-game win streak.

Dallas is 15-5 at home, while the Celtics are a mere 11-7 on the road.

If you look at the last 5 games for each of these teams there’s a bit of a pattern that’s emerging. Both Dallas (2nd) and Boston (4th) are thriving on offense but struggling on defense (25th and 22nd, respectively).

The Mavericks defense only improves slightly when they’re at home vs. on the road. It feels like a no-brainer when it comes to the OVER (232.5) when you consider these teams and their ability to put up numbers.

As for who I’m looking at when it comes to picking winners, Dallas hasn’t played since Monday and the Celtics are coming off their worst loss of the season (giving up 150 points to the Thunder). I’m worried that the time off might have taken some of the rhythm away from the Mavs, where I’m feeling a bit more confident that the Celtics are coming into this game with the bitter taste of a blowout loss AND it’s hard to see them picking up a season worst 3-game losing streak.

Give me the Celtics, even with them giving points (-3). Yes, the Mavericks are hot and yes they are especially hot at home, but the Celtics just seem primed for a course correction.

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