Mavericks at Boston Celtics
(6:30 p.m. Wednesday, TD Garden, Boston)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest/ESPN
Radio: ESPN 103.3 FM (Univision 1270 AM, Spanish)
About the Mavericks (24-21): This game will close out the March schedule, which has been pretty kind to the Mavericks. They own an 8-5 March record . . . They will be going for the season sweep against the Celtics, having taken a 110-107 win on Feb. 23 at American Airlines Center . . . They are 1-1 so far on this season-long five-game trip. After visiting the Celtics, they will play New York on Friday and Washington on Saturday before coming home – for one game (Utah) . . . Tim Hardaway Jr. has been sizzling of late. In the last eight games, six of them as a reserve, he has averaged 19.8 points, along with 4.4 rebounds per game. His shooting has been remarkable, hitting 48.4 percent from 3-point range (eight attempts per game) and 54.2 percent overall. He’s only played 29 minutes per game, on average . . . Luka Dončić returned after missing two games to score 25 points in Monday’s blowout win at Oklahoma City. The Mavericks’ last four victories have been by 16, 40, 20 and 21 points . . . Willie Cauley-Stein still listed as “out” because of COVID-19 health protocols. He’s the only rotation player on the latest injury report. New acquisition J.J. Redick has not joined the team yet as he continues to recover from a right heel issue.
About the Celtics (23-24): They are one of the most surprising teams in the league this season, and not in a good way. They have lost six of their last nine games to slip back below .500, which they have been hovering around virtually all season . . . They are coming off a 115-109 loss at home to New Orleans, which also beat the Mavericks earlier on this trip. In that game, the Celtics allowed the Pelicans to hit 52 percent from 3-point range . . . Boston has fought injuries for much of the season with Marcus Smart, who now is back. But Jaylen Brown (hip) is questionable for this game and Tristan Thompson (COVID protocols) is out. Former SMU standout Semi Ojeleye also is out with a side injury . . . New acquisition Evan Fournier had a forgettable debut with the Celtics, missing all five of his shots and going scoreless, even though he played 33 minutes . . . Jayson Tatum is the Celtics’ go-to man, averaging 25.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He’s also making 38.5 percent of his 3-point tries . . . Brown, if he is available, has had a terrific season at 24.5 points per game and 39.2 percent 3-point shooting . . . Since returning from injury three weeks ago, Flower Mound Marcus product Marcus Smart has averaged 12.9 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 36.2 percent from 3-point range.
Twitter: @ESefko
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