Individually, Irving’s numbers were better against the Celtics on Saturday, but for the Mavericks the result was all too familiar. They will see the Celtics again, in Boston, on Feb. 6, trade deadline day. Perhaps they will have Doncic back, or nearly back, by then.

The Boston Celtics grabbed a 122-107 victory on the road against the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night behind a strong offensive performance that saw all five Celtics starters score 17 or more points. This was the first meeting between the two clubs since the 2024 NBA Finals.

This afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks will host the defending NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics, in a game that tips at 4:30 CST at the American Airlines Center.