Celtics vs Mavericks LIVE, Score Updates and Play-by-Play in NBA

Four percentage points from deep tell a massive math story under Joe Mazzulla.

Boston converts 38 percent of its three-point attempts (46 percent overall FG) while dishing 26.8 assists against only 14.7 total turnovers per game, backed by 8.2 steals and 4.9 blocks. Dallas shoots 34 percent from beyond the arc as a team (47 percent FG, 113.2 PPG scored, 113.3 PPG allowed, 26.3 assists, 5.8 blocks, 8.8 steals) and commits 16.5 turnovers per contest.

Matching Boston's five-out volume without second-chance putbacks from Gafford or Lively puts heavy shot-making responsibility on Irving (39.0 percent 3PT), Flagg, Zaccharie Risacher and Santi Aldama.

Rest disparity and Dallas's missing centers drive the heaviest spread on Sunday's NBA board.

DraftKings lists unbeaten-at-home Boston as a 13.5-point favorite (BOS -13.5, moneyline -800; Dallas +558) alongside a compressed 217.5-point over/under total reflecting Boston's stingy 103.1 points allowed per game. Across its past five wins, Boston held Charlotte to 80, Toronto to 93, Milwaukee to 97 and 102, and Philadelphia to 101.

ESPN's Matchup Predictor projects Boston at 82.1 percent win probability compared to 17.9 percent for Dallas in the opener of their two-game regular-season series, which wraps up Nov. 30 in Dallas.

Ten wins in 12 outings keep Boston perched atop the East.

Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics 10-2 (.833, W5 streak, 10-1 vs Eastern Conference foes), Philadelphia 76ers 10-3 (.769, 0.5 GB, W1), New York Knicks 6-6 (.500, 4.0 GB, L2), Toronto Raptors 5-7 (.417, 5.0 GB, L3), Brooklyn Nets 3-9 (.250, 7.0 GB, L1).

Southwest Division: San Antonio Spurs 11-2 (.846, W11 streak), Houston Rockets 10-3 (.769, 1.0 GB, W3), Memphis Grizzlies 9-4 (.692, 2.0 GB, W2), Dallas Mavericks 7-6 (.538, 4.0 GB, L2), New Orleans Pelicans 4-10 (.286, 7.5 GB, L6).

Three full days of home sleep collide with midnight charter legs.

Schedule makers handed Dallas one of the toughest road back-to-backs on the November calendar. Cooper Flagg logged 38 minutes, Kyrie Irving played 37, Caleb Martin logged 33 and Naji Marshall played 30 last night in a 127-117 loss at Cleveland before flying northeast into Logan Airport, capping a grueling three-game road trip that opened Thursday with a 133-94 loss at Minnesota after Dallas had previously beaten Utah (112-100), Brooklyn (130-93) and Indiana (125-122) at home.

Boston has slept in its own beds since returning from Toronto late Wednesday night, giving Jayson Tatum, Paul George, veteran point guard Mike Conley and Derrick White 72 hours of recovery before defending their 5-0 TD Garden floor.

Rim protection belongs squarely to Boston tonight.

Seven-footer Neemias Queta leads the Celtics on the boards at 6.7 rebounds per game and dominated Wednesday's 98-93 win in Toronto with 11 points, 13 rebounds (10 defensive, three offensive), three blocks and a game-high +27 in 31 minutes. Behind Queta, Joe Mazzulla rotates veteran center Mitchell Robinson and stretch big Luka Garza (5-of-5 combined free-throw touch and corner three-point range) to keep a 7-footer in the paint for all 48 minutes.

Against a small-ball Mavericks frontcourt missing Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, Queta and Robinson punish switches on the offensive glass (Boston averages 44.8 rebounds per game to Dallas's 44.0) while Derrick White (19 points, seven assists, four blocked shots vs Toronto), Baylor Scheierman (3-of-5 3PT, seven rebounds, +18 as a starter Wednesday), Payton Pritchard (14 points) and Sam Hauser (nine rebounds) space the floor.

Zero names sit on Boston's Sunday injury sheet.

Boston Celtics: Every player on Joe Mazzulla's 17-man roster is available, including rookie wing Hugo Gonzalez, guard Devin Carter, guard Jordan Walsh and rookie big Chris Cenac Jr., after resting since Wednesday night in Toronto.

Dallas Mavericks: Five rotation players are ruled out, headlined by both centers: Dereck Lively II (out) and Daniel Gafford (out after logging 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and three rebounds in 17 minutes last night in Cleveland), plus guard Max Christie (out) and forwards Tarik Biberovic (out) and Sergio de Larrea (out).

Without Lively or Gafford to anchor the restricted area, Dusty May turns to P.J. Washington (7.2 rebounds per game), stretch forward Santi Aldama (seven points, +16 in 16 minutes last night), Caleb Martin (15 points, eight rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting at Cleveland), Naji Marshall (12 points, five assists) and rookie Morez Johnson Jr. (15 minutes at Cleveland).

Newport, Maine is barely three hours up Interstate 95 from Causeway Street, and rookie sensation Cooper Flagg steps onto the TD Garden parquet leading Dallas at 24.6 points and 6.5 assists per game through 13 contests. Last night in Cleveland, the 6-foot-9 forward logged 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one block and zero turnovers across 38 minutes.

Kyrie Irving carried the scoring torch in Ohio.

Returning tonight to the arena where he wore green from 2017 to 2019, Irving poured in 34 points on 11-of-25 shooting and 7-of-16 from three-point range alongside six rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals in 37 minutes Saturday evening, lifting his 10-game season averages to 21.6 points, 4.3 assists, 47.9 percent field-goal accuracy and 89.7 percent free-throw shooting.

Boston has not allowed more than 102 points in two weeks.

All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum paces the Celtics in both scoring (26.3 points per game) and assists (7.5 per night), fresh off a 24-point, seven-rebound, eight-assist, two-block outing (10-of-12 FT) across 38 minutes in Wednesday's gritty 98-93 road win at Toronto on Nov. 11. Veteran wing Paul George supplies 22.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals across 10 appearances while shooting a blistering 48.8 percent from the floor, 44.0 percent from three-point territory and 82.1 percent at the foul line.

During Boston's five-game winning streak over Milwaukee (109-102 on Nov. 4), Charlotte (119-80 on Nov. 6), Milwaukee again (117-97 on Nov. 8), Philadelphia (123-101 on Nov. 10) and Toronto (98-93), opponents averaged 94.6 points per game against Boston's league-best 103.1 points allowed per outing.

Good evening from Causeway Street and welcome to VAVEL's live courtside coverage of Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics inside TD Garden. Tip-off in Boston is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. CT in Texas) across Prime Video, NBC Sports Boston and KFAA-TV / MavsTV.

Five-and-oh on the parquet meets a grueling road back-to-back.

Joe Mazzulla's Boston Celtics top the Atlantic Division at 10-2 overall (5-0 at home, riding a five-game winning streak after three days of rest). Dusty May's Dallas Mavericks enter at 7-6 (2-4 road) less than 24 hours after dropping a 127-117 decision in Cleveland last night.