NBA (3/6) | Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics: Tatum’s Back

All signs are pointing to Jayson Tatum making his return tonight for the Boston Celtics and I couldn't be more excited. Not only is Tatum on track to play tonight, but Cooper Flagg's back in the lineup for the Dallas Mavericks and ready to play the team he grew up cheering for.

Lots to talk about today so let's jump right into this game.

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Game Information

Matchup Information

• Location: TD Garden; Boston, Massachusetts
• Date: Friday, March 6th, 2026
• Tipoff: 8:10 PM EST

Key Players

• Cooper Flagg (DAL): 33.9 MPG | 20.3 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 4.2 APG
• Jaylen Brown (BOS): 34.3 MPG | 28.9 PPG | 7.2 RPG | 5.0 APG

Betting Odds

Odds via Lucky Rebel, an industry leader in the sports betting world.

Analysis & Breakdown

JT Back

As of right now, Tatum is still questionable for tonight's game but all reports have indicated that he will suit up for his first game of the year. This will be the longest he been away from the game of basketball and the toughest injury he's ever had to come back from.

That being said, it's been just about 10 months since he tore his achilles and it looks like he's itching to get back out there. This is definitely be one of the quicker achilles recoveries we've seen but it won't be the fastest. Tatum underwent surgery the same night he tore his achilles and he's been relentless with his rehab.

All signs point to Tatum being good to go and tonight we'll find out exactly what that means for Boston.

Outside of Tatum's return, the Celtics come into this one off their worst home loss of the year. The Celtics played the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday and scored just 89 points in front of the home crowd. They lost the game by 29 points, shot just 38% from the field and the starters came out early. It was ugly.

Tonight the C's enter the game as a 15-point favorite and look to get back in the win column.

The Rook

Cooper Flagg does not look like a rookie and the fact he's only 19 years old still shocks me. Flagg looks like a man amongst boys when he's out on the floor and it was more of he same in his first game back from injury. He played 26 minutes last night in a one point loss to the Magic, recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

He's averaging 20.3 points per game this year, leads the Mavericks in scoring and he's shooting 48% from the field. Flagg's 6.5 rebounds per game and 4.2 assists per game is no surprise if you watched him at Duke, but to see him do it against grown men; still crazy.

The Mavericks season has been ugly but that was to be expected. Even after drafting Flagg this summer, with no Kyrie Irving all year; it was going to be tough. Anthony Davis played just 29 total games in a Mavericks uniform and Dallas now looks to the lottery to add another big piece next to Coop.

The future is bright in Dallas and even though this year's been ugly; there's a lot to look forward to if you're a Mavericks fan.

Friday Night's Best Bets

Cooper Flagg o25.5 PRA (-110) | Lucky Rebel

Did I mention the fact that Cooper Flagg grew up a Celtics fan? This year's (probable) rookie of the year grew up just a few hours north of TD Garden in Newport, Maine. Flagg grew up watching the Celtics and he's made it clear Jayson Tatum's one of the guys he's watched most.

Cooper Flagg on potentially facing Jayson Tatum on Friday, via @christianpclark:

"He's one of the guys I grew up watching. Kind of modeled my game after. Watched him at Duke … He's somebody I've always looked up to. I'm excited to face off and compete against him for sure." pic.twitter.com/Ai7lViHWj7

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) March 6, 2026

That being said, this will be the first time Flagg plays at TD Garden and just the second time he'll face off against the Celtics. In his game he put up 36 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. He shot 50% from the field and got to the line for 11 free throw attempts.

Flagg's coming back from injury and on the second night of a back to back. He won't see 30 minutes tonight but this line still feels too low.  Big time matchup for the rookie in a place so close to home. Family is bound to be in the house and I couldn't be more excited for tonight's matchup.

Jayson Tatum o2.5 Assists (-130) | Lucky Rebel

This line just feels incredibly low, even though this is his first game back. I'm projecting Tatum to play 18-23 minutes tonight and going up against a porous Mavericks defense; three assists feels tasty. This is going to be an incredible sweat, but for this price; I'll ride.

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