Celtics at Mavericks
The Boston Celtics would like to jump up and earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. To do that, they will have to find a way to win on the road, beginning Friday when they visit the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics squandered a late lead at New Orleans on Wednesday and fell to the lowly Hornets at the buzzer, dropping their road mark to 12-21. Dallas still has its own playoff dreams but is running out of time.
The Mavericks are 3 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 14 games left on the schedule. Dallas has not been able to gain any momentum over the past week and has traded wins and losses in its past six games, ending with a 113-96 home setback against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Boston came apart in the second half against New Orleans, just as it did on Monday in squandering a 17-point lead against the Miami Heat at home.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSNNE (Boston), FSSW (Dallas)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (36-31): Boston entered the week with the idea that a strong run through the end of the season could get them the Atlantic Division crown and the No. 3 spot in the East playoffs. Back-to-back losses have tempered those plans. The Celtics are 4 1/2 games behind the New York Knicks for first place in the Atlantic and 3 1/2 behind Brooklyn for the No. 4 spot. Making matters worse are the Milwaukee Bucks, who are within two games of seventh-place Boston. The Celtics leaned on Jeff Green for a career-high 43 points in Monday’s loss to the Heat and turned things back over to Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on Wednesday. Green, who went back to the bench with Garnett’s return for a two-game absence, scored all 13 of his points in the first half on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (32-36): Dallas still has to climb over the Utah Jazz to even get within one spot of the Lakers and has a rough schedule over the next two weeks. Boston represents the fourth straight playoff contender the Mavericks have faced, with six straight to come after the Celtics leave town. The Mavericks expect to get a boost on Friday when forward Shawn Marion returns from an eight-game absence to rest a strained calf. Marion practiced on Thursday and told ESPN Dallas, “It’s feeling a lot better. I still feel a little bit (of soreness), but it’s not enough to hold me back.” Marion’s return will be help on the defensive end, where he will likely be facing off against Pierce or Green.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Celtics G Jason Terry, who spent eight seasons with the Mavericks and was part of the NBA championship squad in 2010-11, will be making his first trip back to Dallas since signing with Boston as a free agent over the summer.
2. The Celtics took the first meeting 117-115 in overtime at home on Dec. 12. Pierce led the way with 34 points.
3. Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki is shooting 74.2 percent from the field in the last three games.