Boston @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 11, 2019 ) Dallas 106, Boston 116

The Dallas Mavericks are fresh off a stunning upset without their star player and they look to post another impressive win when they host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Dallas broke the 18-game winning streak of the Milwaukee Bucks with a 120-116 road victory on Monday despite not having superstar point guard Luka Doncic.

Doncic will be sidelined against Boston as well due to a sprained right ankle and the squad's confidence is high after slaying the Bucks. "The NBA is crazy," power forward Kristaps Porzingis told reporters. "Anybody can beat anybody, basically. We have high goals for ourselves. That's one of the best teams in the league right there. We just played hard and were able to get the win." Boston dropped its last two games but has been off since Thursday's 115-109 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. "We just have to learn how to win," standout point guard Kemba Walker told reporters. "We have a lot of lapses during these games. We have nights where we are playing super well and then we have lapses where we have times where it is just bad and it looks really bad. So we just have to tone that down a little bit and try our best to put 48-minute games together, and that is going to take everybody."

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT THE CELTICS (17-6): Walker scored 29 points in the loss to the 76ers and topped 20 in four of the past five games and there is one trait he really likes about his teammates. "The thing I love about us is that we are not quitting, (but) fighting through adversity, and when things are getting rough we aren't putting our heads down," Walker said. "We are competing at a very high level and we can only go up from here." Small forward Jayson Tatum (sinus infection) is expected to play against Dallas but point guard Marcus Smart (eye) could miss his fourth straight contest.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (18-8): Porzingis recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds and shooting guard Seth Curry also scored 26 points as Dallas took down the Bucks despite reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 48 points. Jalen Brunson stepped in as the starting point guard with Doncic injured and he registered 13 points and a career-best 11 assists in 32 minutes in a strong performance. "You can never have too many playmakers on your team," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "Brunson is big, and we have a lot of playmakers on this team. Seth Curry played a lot of point guard for us three years ago. We're going to have to do more playmaking collectively, which is a good challenge for us."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Walker scored 29 points as the Celtics posted a 116-106 home win over the Mavericks on Nov. 11 while Doncic tallied a game-high 34.

2. The Mavericks have won seven of the past nine meetings in Dallas.

3. Boston reserve PF-C Robert Williams (hip) will miss at least three weeks.

PREDICTION: Celtics 105, Mavericks 101