Mavericks (21-41) at Celtics (41-21) Game #63 3/6/26

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Dallas Mavericks (21-41)  at  Boston Celtics (41-21)
Friday, March 6, 2026
7:00 PM EST
Regular Season Game #63 Home Game #31
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, Mavs TV
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 91.7 FM, Sirius XM
TD Garden


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Derrick White vs Max Christie

Shooting Guard
vs
Baylor Scheierman vs Cooper Flagg

Small Forward
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Khris Middleton

Power Forward
vs
Sam Hauser  vs  PJ Washington

Center
vs
Neemias Queta  vs Daniel Gafford

Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Nikola Vucevic
Jordan Walsh

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Mavericks Reserves
AJ Johnson
Naji Marshall
Calet Martin
Ryan Nembhard
Dwight Powell

2-Way Players
Moussa Cisse
John Poulakidas
Tyler Smith

Injuries/Out
Kyrie Irving (knee) out
Dereck Lively II (foot) out
Marvin Bagley II  (neck) questionable
Brandon Williams (quad) questionable

Head Coach
Jason Kidd

Game Notes
In a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks visit the Boston Celtics.  This is the second and final meeting between these two teams this season.  Boston won the first game over the short-handed Mavericks in Dallas 110-100 on February 3..  The series was tied last season with each team winning on the road.  The Celtics are 48-41 overall all time against Dallas and 27-17 in games  played in Boston.  The Mavs are playing on the 2nd night of back to back games  and they are 5-5 so far in the 2nd games. 

The Mavericks didn't make many changes in the off season after making a big spash with the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade a year ago.  They signed D'Angelo Russell in the off season.  They also won the draft lottery and chose Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the draft.  They made a big trade at the deadline, sending Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Wizards for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley II, and AJ Johnson.  They also waived Tyus Jones in order to convert Ryan Nembhard from a 2-way contract to a standard contract. 

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 2.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 5.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 7 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 8 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 14-7 against Western Conference opponents. They are 20-10 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off their worst loss of the season in their last game.

The Mavericks are 12th in the West, 26.5 games behind 1st place OKC, 16.5 games behind the 6th place Lakers, 10 games behind 8th place Portland, and 2 games behind 11th place Memphis.  They are 3 games ahead of 13th place New Orleans and 3.5 games ahead of 14th place Utah.  They are 10-11 against Eastern Conference opponents.  They are 7-20 on the road and 2-8 in their last 10 games.  They have lost their last 5 games. 

After this game against Dallas at home, the Celtics head out on a  tough 3 game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Then it's back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee. 

This is the 3rd game of a 6 game road trip for Dallas that started with losses in Charlotte and Orlando and will go through Toronto, Atlanta and Memphis before going back home for one game against Cleveland.  Then it's back on the road for games at Cleveland and New Orleans before facing Atlanta, the Clippers, and Golden State at home.   

For the first time this season,  Jayson Tatum is listed as questionable and is expected to play just 10 months after surgery to repair his torn Achilles.  I've listed the starting lineup that the Celtics have been using, thinking that Tatum may come off the bench for his first game back.  But it's possible that he will start with Scheierman or Hauser going to the bench. 

For Dallas, Kyrie Irving remains out as he rehabs from the ACL reconstruction surgery he underwent on March 26 of last year.  Dereck Lively II is out after having season ending surgery on his right foot in December.  Marvin Bagley III has missed the last 4 games due to a neck sprain and is questionable for this game.  Brandon Williams missed Thursday's game due to a left quadriceps contusion and is also listed as questionable. 

Key Matchups
vs
Baylor Scheierman vs Cooper Flagg
Flagg returned to the Mavs on Thursday after missing 8 weeks due to a foot sprain.  He is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He is shooting 48.2% from the field and 30.2% from beyond the arc.  In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 36 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.  The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.  We may see Jaylen Brown starting here if Tatum starts. 

vs
Sam Hauser  vs  PJ Washington
Washington is averaging 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists. 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.  He is shooting 44.7% from the field and 30.5% from beyond the arc.  He missed the first game against the Celtics.  It's possible that we see Jayson Tatum starting at power forward. 

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Khris Middleton
Middleton was traded from Washington at the trade deadline.  He is averaging 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.  He  is shooting 43.4% from the field and 32.5% from beyond the arc.  Middleton wasn't with the Mavs for the first game against the Celtics.   However, Middleton has always been a Celtics killer no matter what team he is on or how he plays against other teams. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the number one key to winning games. There is no truer statement than "Defense wins Championships."  The Mavs have an offensive rating of 109.9 (26th) while the Celtics have an offensive rating of 119.9 (2nd).   The Mavs are 16th with a defensive rating of 113.9 while the Celtics are tied for 6th with a defensive rating of 111.9.  When the Celtics struggle on offense, as they have in some recent games,  they have to be able to stop the other team from scoring.   The Celtics especially need to defend the paint as the Mavericks average 53.7 points in the paint per game (4th).  The Celtics need to play much better than they did against the Hornets if they want to win this game.

Rebound - Second to defense, rebounding is the key to winning. One of the few times I have agreed with Pat Riley was when he said "No rebounds, no rings."   The Celtics are averaging 46.2 rebounds per game (6th) while the Mavs are averaging 44.6 rebounds per game (11th).  The Celtics need to put out extra effort on the boards to keep the Mavs from getting extra possessions and second chance points and to give the same to themselves.

Don't Underestimate - Once again, the Celtics are facing a team that is under .500 and missing key players.  It would be easy for the Celtics to underestimate the Mavericks and expect an easy win against them. If the Celtics don't play with effort and focus, any team can beat them.  The Celtics have to come out strong from the start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. The Mavs are very capable of beating them if they don't play their best.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be more aggressive in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and on defense. They have to aggressively crash the boards. They have to be the team that wants to win the game more. In most of their losses, including Wednesday's loss to the Hornets,  they have allowed their opponents to play harder and be more aggressive.  They absolutely can't let the Mavericks play harder than them if they want to win this game.

X-Factors
At Home -  The Mavericks will be on the road and playing on the second night of back to back games. They will have the distractions of travel and playing in front of a mostly hostile crowd,although I expect a lot of cheers for hometown Cooper Flagg.  The Celtics need to get motivation from the home crowd and defend their home court with energy and effort.

The Tatum Factor - With Jayson Tatum expected to make his season debut in this game, the Celtics have to be excited and hopefully that will give them a boost.  Whether he comes off the bench or starts, he is likely to be rusty and there will be some growing pains as he gets used to playing and the team gets used to having him back. 

Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor.  Every crew calls the game a little differently and teams need to adjust to how the game is being called.  Will they call the game tight or will they let them play?  The Celtics can't let the officiating take away their focus and they have to adjust to the way the refs are calling it.  The Celtics need to play hard and build a lead and not allow the refs to take the game away on some bad calls at the end. 

[Goldstar88]

Let?s go! TP to FLCeltsFan for the game thread!! Beat the Mavs!!

[FLCeltsFan]

TP to  Goldstar88 for being the first to post in the game thread!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!!

Beat the Mavericks!!!!!!!

[jpotter33]

This is blasphemy, FLCeltsFan! I don't care if he's officially "questionable" or not - Tatum is playing and starting tomorrow! 

(TP as always!)

[slamtheking]

TP for another great game thread FL.  Hoping for a Tatum sighting

[radiohead]

If ever JT comes back this game, I?m guessing he?ll come off the bench? Maybe he gets a few games under his legs before he regains his starting spot?

[Celtics2021]

If ever JT comes back this game, I?m guessing he?ll come off the bench? Maybe he gets a few games under his legs before he regains his starting spot?

I could see him starting.  It is sometimes easier to manage minutes for starters because of the time out at the 7-minute mark every quarter.  Play him 4-5 minutes at the start of every quarter to begin with, and let him get his legs under him before he is in the closing lineup, which can be more physically taxing.

[FLCeltsFan]

If ever JT comes back this game, I?m guessing he?ll come off the bench? Maybe he gets a few games under his legs before he regains his starting spot?

That's what I'm thinking.  At least one game off the bench to get his legs under him.  But, this is JT and he may come back and start right away.  I'm never right when I try to guess what Joe will do. 

[Phantom255x]

He should come off the bench, but I heard an insane stat that apparently in his entire NBA career, Tatum has started in EVERY game he's played (585 out of 585, WOW).

So he'll "start" but I'd be stunned if he played more than 15 minutes in the game. Maybe they'll limit him to 10-15, then keep him out Sunday and just see how he responds.