Whether or not the Brow suits up for his new ball club, Boston would do well to try to keep their guard up for this contest.

The Celtics are 9-1 against the Mavericks in their past 10 games, the only loss coming in Game 4 of the NBA Finals last season.

Dallas now navigates the post-Doncic era, adding pieces like Anthony Davis. Davis hasn’t made his Mavs debut, but that could come against the Celtics for the 7:30 p.m. Thursday game at TD Garden. Davis was upgraded to questionable on the Mavs injury report with his abdominal muscle strain.

The 2027 first-round pick was the only one Dallas had to offer because NBA rules prohibit trading first-round picks in successive years, and the Mavericks, at the time, owed the Knicks a first-rounder in 2024 or 2025 from the Kristaps Porzingis deal ( it officially became the ‘24 pick in April) and Brooklyn one in 2029 from the Irving deal.

NBA legend Charles Barkley shared his opinion on the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. How did he grade the trade?

May 11, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II cheers during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder during game three of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images