Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are led by Europeans Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, who are the undisputed leaders of the team. On the other hand, the rest of the team is pretty evenly matched, which is why Carlisle has started with seven different starting fives in 9 games played. Despite the fact that the Mavericks are still looking for the right rotation, they are currently one of the leaders in the Western Conference, winning 6 out of 9 games played.
Luka Doncic
The Slovenian, who won the Rookie of the Year title last year, has had a fantastic start to the season. In 9 games played, the 20-year-old is averaging 28.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 47.1% from the field. It's hard to believe that a European playing in only his second season in the world's strongest league can play like that, but it's not for nothing that many NBA experts and analysts consider Luka to be a Top 10 NBA player and definitely one of the best players in the league.
Luka Doncic's most memorable performance of the season came against the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers, when the Slovenian scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had 15 assists. Still, it wasn't enough for victory, but Doncic's performance couldn't fail to impress.
Predicted starting five
PG: Luka Dončič
SG: Seth Curry
SF: D. Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Dwight Powell
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Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are currently the hottest team in the league, with a 7-game winning streak, which they will look to extend at home. The Celts will be coming into this game on the back of a 20-point win over the San Antonio Spurs on the road. Indeed, although the Boston team's off-season actions have been questioned by many, at least for the time being, the departures of Al Horford and Kyrie Irving seem to be working in their favour, and it will be very interesting to see the progress of this team as the season gets underway.
Probably the only bad thing from the last game is the injury to G. Hayward, who started the season well. Hayward, who recovered from a bad leg fracture 2 years ago and started the season well, broke his left hand and will probably miss 1 to 2 months of basketball. It's a tough blow for the team, but even without this loss, the Celtics have a lot of players who can take the initiative, so this will be a chance for the players who are less exposed to get some exposure.
Kemba Walker
After 8 seasons in Charlotte, Kemba has finally landed in a team where he can do something. Kemba has only made the playoffs once in all his years in Charlotte, which is definitely a poor performance for a player of his level, and if you want to make a name for yourself in the league, it is important to start getting some big wins, and the Celtics are the perfect team to do that.
There were high hopes for this player, and Walker, 29, is living up to them, at least so far. Averaging 24.5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He has already become one of the Celtics' leaders this season, but he still has to prove that he is ready to lead this young and very talented team to victory.
Predicted starting five
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: G. Williams
C: E. Kanter
Forecast
The Celtics, both on paper and in terms of play, seem to be a better team than the Mavericks. Of course, it is difficult to predict how the team will react to the injury of one of their key players, G. Hayward, and how well the Mavericks will be able to take advantage of this loss. Kristaps Porzingis, who missed the previous game, is now registered and ready to play against the Celtics. He and Luka will be the key players to surprise the Celts and break their winning streak, as they probably will be for the rest of the season.
On the other hand, the Celtics are one of the best defending teams in the league, so the performances of Doncic and Porzingis might not be enough to get the win. The Celtics have a lot of players who can take responsibility and pull the team forward at the right time, and they have a much better line-up than the Mavericks, so it's hard to expect the winning streak to be broken at home. Boston should win at home by more than 3 points.