The Boston Celtics are rolling into Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with a full squad, not a single name on their injury report. This is huge news for a team already owning the league’s best net rating and sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings at 10-2.
Paul George Is Back to Unleash Havoc
Paul George, who sat out Wednesday’s win over the Toronto Raptors with an illness on the second night of a back-to-back, is cleared to return. Remember, that was just a day after he dropped a massive 36 points on the Philadelphia 76ers. George has been an absolute force this season, coming in as the Celtics’ second-leading scorer. He’s averaging 22 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. What’s even crazier? He’s their most efficient high-volume scorer, draining 48.8% from the field and a ridiculous 44% from beyond the arc. The Celtics proved they could still get it done without him, erasing a 22-point deficit to beat the Raptors 98-93 on the road, but having George back makes this team a different beast entirely.
Celtics Are Absolutely Rolling, But Eyeing the Long Game
That win against Toronto capped a perfect 4-0 road trip and pushed Boston’s winning streak to five games straight. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 matchups, and they’ve had three days off since getting back from Toronto to recharge. It’s clear this team is dialed in. Now, while Sunday’s clean injury report is awesome, it doesn’t mean they’ll be at full strength for both games of their upcoming home back-to-back, which includes the Mavericks on Sunday and then the Orlando Magic on Monday night. The Celtics have already been smart about resting players on back-to-backs this season, like when Mitchell Robinson sat in Orlando or George himself rested in Houston. Jayson Tatum, though, has been a iron man, playing every single back-to-back game so far. He’s open to the conversation about rest management, but he’s also made it clear he doesn’t like sitting out road games. As Tatum put it last week in Charlotte, “It’s my 10th year, so I understand the balance of wanting to play every game, and rest, and back-to-backs, three-in-fours, five-in-sevens. It’s always a conversation. We talk about it. We have a plan. I don’t really like sitting out on away games, but we just kind of figure it out as we go.”
The Celtics kick off a four-game West Coast road trip on Wednesday, hitting Denver, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. first. For Sunday, they host a Mavericks team that will be on the second night of their own back-to-back, setting the stage for another big test. Get ready to see if Boston can keep this incredible winning streak alive and further solidify their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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