By james art 
The Dallas Mavericks got a hot, much-needed win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, but they need to show they can beat someone other than the Thunder (crazy statement). Dallas is 2-5 in its last seven games, with losses to the Pelicans and Hornets, but both wins are over the Thunder. They will look to continue their momentum Saturday in an NBA Finals rematch against the Boston Celtics.
PJ Washington has had back-to-back big games this week, but struggled in the Finals last year against the Celtics. He will be an important part of the game plan on Saturday, but no one will be bigger than Kyrie Irving. He noticeably struggled against his former team last year, outside of a 35-point outburst in Game 3 of the Finals, but he should be a little more comfortable at home instead of on the road.
Boston is not as dominant as it was last season, including a 5-5 stretch in this game. They’ve dealt with injuries here and there, not quite to the level of the Mavericks, but they’re not as elite a three-point shooting team as they were last season. Their stats still look pretty similar to last season, and they’ve gotten a boost from Peyton Pritchard, so it’s a little strange that they’ve already nearly lost as many games as they did last season. Jayson Tatum even took a small step forward in scoring this season.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch Saturday’s NBA Finals rematch as part of NBA Rivals Week.
READ MORE: Mavericks may need another aggressive trade deadline
Date/Time: Saturday, January 25, 4:30pm CST
where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Team records: Mavericks 24-21, Celtics 31-14
TV/Streaming: ABC, ESPN+
READ MORE: How Kyrie Irving helped Spencer Dinwiddie to star performance in Mavericks-Thunder
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