Mavs Up For 'Challenge' At Celtics

Mavericks continue long trip at Boston after blowing out Houston

HOUSTON -- Shortly after a 13-point victory against the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks started looking ahead to their next opponent. 

The second stop of a five-game road trip is at Boston on Sunday, where Dallas (41-26) will face the Celtics (41-27) at TD Garden. The Celtics are riding a five-game winning streak defeating the Detroit Pistons on Friday.

"They are playing at a real high level," coach Jason Kidd said of the Celtics. "Both teams are playing well at the moment, so this should be a fun game. The environment is going to be electric. And hopefully, we are up for that challenge." 

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Luka Doncic

© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic & Dwight Powell

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Luka Doncic

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to a 114-103 victory over the Pistons with a game-high 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists. 

Tatum has scored at least 30 in five consecutive games. He's averaged 42.0 points on 55.8-percent shooting, including 46.3 percent from behind the arc, in March. 

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Jayson Tatum

Luka Doncic

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Luka Doncic

"He is an amazing player," Luka Doncic said. "It's going to be a challenging game. If we don't play hard, we are not going to win. We will play hard and try to stop him. He is a great player who makes tough shots."

Kidd understands the importance of getting his team ready to play in front of a hostile crowd. In addition to facing off against the hottest team in the league, the Celtics will retire Kevin Garnett's No. 5 jersey. 

Behind 33 points from Doncic, Dallas beat Boston 107-104 on Nov. 6. Tatum scored 32 points in the loss.