Rajon Rondo enjoyed eight-plus seasons with the Boston Celtics, playing in four All-Star games and winning two assists crowns and one NBA title. On Friday, Rondo returns to the city that traded him two weeks ago when the Dallas Mavericks visit Boston. "Hopefully I won't be too emotional, try not to cry a little bit, but I'm very excited to go back," Rondo told reporters. "Those fans are amazing there. If I do [tear up], hopefully the camera isn't on me too much. I'm going to try to blink a lot."
Rondo is averaging 11 assists since the 2010-11 season, is a four-time All-Defensive team pick and averages more rebounds than any guard in the league (seven) this season. He and the Mavericks are coming off their most impressive win since acquiring the mercurial point guard, a 114-87 thrashing of the Washington Wizards. The Celtics hope a change they made to their approach Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings can carry on.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (23-10): Monta Ellis came back two days after severely injuring his left ankle and scored 20 points to lead Dallas over the Wizards on Tuesday for a third straight win. "He's been a warrior the entire time he's been here," Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki told reporters. "He never misses games. He played sick the other night, played hurt tonight. I can't say enough about him." The contest with the Celtics begins a stretch in which six of the Mavericks' next seven games are on the road.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (11-18): After losing four straight, Celtics coach Brad Stevens held two very physical practices that resembled a "WWE-type atmosphere" but the results were positive in a 106-84 triumph over Sacramento. Jared Sullinger posted 20 points and 11 rebounds and Kelly Olynyk added 15 points. "That was the best game physically we've played, I thought, as a team," Stevens told reporters. "I was a little nervous coming in today because we had two hard practices where there were very few fouls called. Hopefully we can continue to build off of that."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Ellis hasn't missed a game since the 2011-12 season.
2. Boston Rookie G Marcus Smart, the heir apparent to Rondo, has struggled, shooting just 36.6 percent from the floor and averaging 2.2 assists, but Stevens told reporters not to expect him to be a "world-beater every minute of every day."
3. Former Mavericks F Jae Crowder (12 points) and G Jameer Nelson (8 assists) made big contributions against the Kings, and Smart posted perhaps his best game with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 112, Celtics 99