The Boston Celtics travel to Texas to play the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Saturday.

The Celtics (10-9) had a dominating win in their most recent game, as they hope that's the beginning of a lengthy run. Prior to that wire-to-wire victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Boston lost seven of their previous 10 games. That's a stretch no one expected from this team all year, as they were expected to finish top-two in the east. While that's still a major possibility, sitting at .500 through 18 games is way below expectations. It's the offense that's really taken a hit, with the Celtics sitting 25th in scoring and 28th in offensive efficiency. There are way too many weapons on this team to have ugly numbers like that and it's a wonder why they're so bad on that end of the floor. It's unlikely to continue though, as Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving are both playing much better ball over recent weeks.

The Mavericks (8-9) are quietly one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as they come into this matchup winning five of their last six games. The offense has been astounding in that stretch, with Dallas averaging over 110 points per game since a disappointing opener. This is a club who sat bottom-three in total offense last year and the addition of Luke Doncic is clearly paying dividends. The defense isn't shabby either, with the Mavericks ranking 10th in points allowed. While many people didn't expect Dallas to reach the postseason at the beginning of the year, skeptics need to take notice of this improved team. The fact that Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) is expected to return in a month is exciting as well, as this team desperately needs to add to their depth.

Boston has swept two-straight season series over Dallas. That marks their last four meetings in total but the Mavericks won their previous seven games over the Celtics prior to that.