Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain) and guard Josh Green (right elbow sprain) remain out for Thursday night’s home game against the Boston Celtics.
Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) will miss this interconference matchup as well. Thirty-eight games into the 2022-23 season, Dallas is 22-16 and ranks fourth overall in the Western Conference standings.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Mavericks have the 12th-best odds to win the championship. Some sportsbooks are showing better odds for the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns.
Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain), Josh Green (right elbow sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Celtics.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) January 4, 2023
Finney-Smith is expected to miss at least one more week. Through 31 starts this season, the 29-year-old is averaging 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. Plus, the seventh-year wing is shooting 40.1% from the field and 34.5% outside the arc.
On Nov. 15, in the Mavericks’ 103-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Finney-Smith recorded a season-high 21 points in 37 minutes played. He finished 7-of-15 (46.7%) shooting from the floor and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point range.
Mavericks’ Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain), Josh Green (right elbow sprain), and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) are out against Celtics on Thursday
Equally important, Josh Green hasn’t played since Dec. 9 versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The third-year guard has missed the past 13 games. He’s averaging a career-high seven points per game, along with 2.3 boards and 1.2 assists through 25 appearances this season.
Green is also shooting career bests of 58.3% from the field and 44.4% beyond the arc. In the Mavericks’ 98-97 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 20, the Arizona product logged a career-high 23 points in 31 minutes of action. Of course, he shot 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the floor and knocked down six 3-pointers.
Regarding the Celtics’ injury report, the only two players listed are Danilo Gallinari (ACL) and Robert Williams III (knee). Gallinari will miss this entire season due to a left ACL tear he suffered during EuroBasket, and Williams was upgraded to probable.
First run on the court 💪🏻🔥 #rehab goes on 😉@celtics pic.twitter.com/9AbN5kdQs6
— DANILO GALLINARI (@gallinari8888) January 4, 2023
Leading into Wednesday night’s nonconference showdown, the Celtics are 3-9 in their previous 12 road games versus Dallas. And Boston is 0-4-1 ATS in its last five contests away. But the C’s are 11-4 in their past 15 meetings against Western Conference opponents.
To add to the aforementioned betting trends, Dallas has won its past seven games. The Mavericks are 9-3 in their last 12 contests at home against the Celtics. However, the Mavs are also 2-10 in their previous 12 meetings versus Eastern Conference teams.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Celtics have a 61.9% chance of defeating the Mavericks. Sportsbooks show Dallas as a 2.5-point underdog at home.
