Celtics at Mavericks
The Boston Celtics hope to have a little more depth on the wing when they finish a four-game road trip at the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Already without guard Avery Bradley, who continues to be sidelined with an Achilles injury, the Celtics were absent forward Jae Crowder (personal) on Saturday in Utah and then lost rookie swingman Jaylen Brown (hip) in the second quarter.
Crowder is expected to return while Brown is day-to-day, but the way Boston is playing it may not even matter. Led once again by All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, who had his 38th straight game of 20 or more points with 29, the Celtics shot a season-high 59.2 percent in the 112-104 victory over the Jazz. It was their ninth win in the last 10 games and left Boston 2 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. While the Celtics are aiming for that top spot, the Mavericks are continuing their turnaround into a playoff hopeful with eight wins in the last 11 games, including a 112-80 rout of Orlando at home Saturday.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (35-19): Backup center Kelly Olynyk was big in the shorthanded victory over Utah, producing 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. That led a 50-point performance for the Boston bench, with 16 coming from little-used veteran Gerald Green and another 10 in the second-longest stint (15 minutes) of the season for James Young. "I thought we were going to need all 13 (players) and I think we're still going to need all 13," coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "It was a really good win with a lot of guys stepping up and playing well."
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (22-32): Wesley Matthews led the runaway effort against Orlando with 20 points, the fourth time he reached that plateau in the past seven games, as Dallas has pulled to within two games of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. "We got dealt a messed-up thing to start the season," Matthews told the media of the team's 2-13 start. "What it says about us is we're tough, we're not going to go anywhere, we're confident and we're going to fight." Dallas also got starting point guard Deron Williams back from a toe injury and he helped the team record a season-high 32 assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Dallas has won six straight meetings at home.
2. Celtics G Marcus Smart totaled eight steals in his last two games and is averaging 2.4 in his 19 starts.
3. Mavericks F Harrison Barnes scored 28 points in the first encounter, a 90-83 win for the Celtics at home Nov. 16.