Doncic, Tatum MVP Duel: Mavericks vs. Celtics 3 Big Things to Watch

A battle of two MVP candidates in Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum takes place on Thursday as the Dallas Mavericks play host to the Boston Celtics on TNT.

The Dallas Mavericks (22-16) host the Boston Celtics (26-12) on Thursday night, as the Mavs hope to extend their winning streak to eight games and the Celtics look to avoid a three-game skid. 

Dallas is coming off a 111-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday, as the Mavericks outscored their opponent 67-53 in the second half for the comeback win. 

Boston has struggled as of late, losing two-straight with the latest being a disappointing blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 150-117. OKC scored 88 points combined in the second and third quarters to run past the Celtics.

Here are the three big things to watch in tonight's matchup. 

Defending Doncic … If You Can

Luka Doncic has been on a historic tear over the last handful of games during the team's seven-game winning streak, but tonight's test comes with a playoff-like atmosphere against a great team.

As the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics will look to show the league that slowing down Doncic is something they take seriously and can do better than any other team in the league. 

The Celtics have a number of versatile defenders and will look to throw a number of different combinations at Doncic, including the likes of Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum. 

Now, if we’re being honest, no single defender or team can stop Doncic, but a savvy, contending team like Boston will throw the kitchen sink at No. 77 in attempt to slow him down on Thursday. We’ll see how Doncic and the Mavs respond as they face a contending team for the first time in nearly three weeks.

Defending Tatum/Brown

Just like how Boston has the joy of defending Doncic, the Mavericks must put together a game plan to slow down Boston's duo of Tatum and Brown, who are arguably the best one-two punch in the league. 

This matchup comes at an inconvenient time for Dallas, as its injury report still features Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green, and Maxi Kleber -- all who would be viable options for Jason Kidd to throw at Tatum and Brown. 

Without those three, it looks like it'll be Reggie Bullock as the lead defender on either Tatum or Brown, meaning tonight's matchup will need to be a complete team effort to hinder the groove of Boston's two All-Stars.

Wood vs. Horford/Williams

Over the last 10 games, nine of which Christian Wood has started, the Mavs center is averaging 20.9 points, 8.6, rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game on 54.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from downtown. 

Granted, most of these games have been against favorable competition during Dallas' seven-game winning streak, but tonight's test against Boston feels different for Wood. 

Wood will be up against two savvy, versatile defenders in Al Horford and Robert Williams, who won't just bend over and let Wood dominate. And even then, when Wood hops in the pick-and-roll with Doncic, defenders like Smart, Tatum, and Brown who get switched can more than handle their own. 

On the defensive end, Dallas' success tonight will hinder partially on Wood's ability to defend the rim with Tatum and Brown attacking the cup, averaging a combined 14 free throw attempts per game.

"Just amping up the defensive intensity," Wood told DallasBasketball.com’s Grant Afseth in explaining his increasing impact on defense.

"My teammates have trust in me to make big plays. My coaches have trust in me to make big plays. With a few guys out like our defensive anchors — Doe, Maxi, Josh — the guys have to step up, and I think I've been doing that as of late."

If Wood can sustain his groove on the offensive end and continue blocking shots at the rim, the Mavericks should be in a good spot in tonight's anticipated matchup. 

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