The Dallas Mavericks head east to take on the Boston Celtics tonight for an inter-conference matchup. Tip-off is scheduled to happen at 7:30pm EST from the TD Garden.

The Mavericks come into this contest with a record of 9-7 while the Celtics enter with a record of 13-4. Dallas is 1-4 on the road this season while Boston is 6-1 in the friendly confines of the Garden.

Boston may be without star forward Jayson Tatum in this contest as he is listed as questionable. If he can give it a go, then we will have some real starpower as he would matchup against Luke Doncic of Dallas. The two are favorites for the MVP award this season so being able to see them square off would be something.

How Dallas can win: The Mavericks are averaging 108.6 points a game while averaging 106.3 to opponents. This team can score more and as the season goes on, likely will. Luka Doncic is the leader of this team and has been putting in work. He is posting 34.4 points and 7.8 assists per game this season creating his havoc on the league.

Against a team like Boston with wing depth, the Mavericks will need crisp ball movement and to limit turnovers. If they can win the little battles, they could find themselves coming out of this game victorious. \

How Boston can win: Boston had it’s win streak snapped the other day but now they can start a new one. Being at home will give them an edge as it’s one of the best home courts in the league. However, guarding Doncic is universal and is hard to do anywhere.

The Celtics will need to make sure they close out on shooting lanes and not allow the Mavericks to catch fire from deep. The recipe for this Dallas team is shooting and defense and the Celtics have the firepower to match it if they focus.

Prediction: Dallas Mavericks 117, Boston Celtics 110

I think Dallas can produce enough to take down the Celtics whether Tatum suits up for Boston or not. The Mavericks are a sneaky good team and will show it tonight as they grab another win.