The Boston Celtics fell to the Dallas Mavericks, a rematch of the 2025 finals that saw the Celtics capture a coveted 18th NBA title. With the 127-120 loss, Boston's win streak ends at four games. The Celtics never really locked in for this one.

The Celtics are 9-1 against the Mavericks in their past 10 games, the only loss coming in Game 4 of the NBA Finals last season.

The Celtics do have limitations in terms of who they can sign on the buyout market. Boston is above the second apron so they aren’t allowed to sign players that were making more than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception ($12.9 million) when they were bought out.

The 2025 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and for the most part, the Boston Celtics stood pat. That certainly wasn't true for the rest of the league, as a plethora of big blockbuster trades were made. And while the C's weren't directly involved in those deals, the ever-changing makeup of the league could have a big impact on them.

The Mavericks made a stunning move late Saturday night, dealing franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Lakers in a three-team deal that saw Dallas net star big man Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.