Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics get back to work on Wednesday night, as the C's welcome Dirk Nowitzki and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks to town for a nationally-televised tilt at 8 p.m. EDT at TD Garden in Boston, MA (TV/Radio: ESPN, CSNNE/WEEI).
Boston and Dallas will meet twice this season and squared off two times last season, with the Mavericks winning both match-ups. Dallas defeated Boston, 89-87, on Nov. 8 thanks to Nowtizki's 25-point performance and prevailed 101-97 on Feb 4. Nowitzki scored 29 points in that game and Tyson Chandler, now a member of the Knicks, had 15 rebounds.
The Celtics (4-4) have been off since Friday night, when they lost to the Indiana Pacers, 87-74. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Boston, which shot a dismal 39.4 percent in defeat. Paul Pierce was 3-for-17 from the field and had 10 points while Ray Allen finished with a game-high 23 points, providing Boston with its only bright spot.
Dallas (5-5) cruised past the hapless Detroit Pistons, 100-86, on Tuesday night. Nowitzki had 18 points and seven rebounds in the victory for Dallas, which made 38-of-69 field goals to shoot 55.1 percent. Shawn Marion added 14 points, Vince Carter scored 11 points and Ian Mahinmi finished with 10 points off the bench for the Mavericks.
Boston's tough week continues against the Chicago Bulls at home on Friday night.
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