BOSTON — The shorthanded Dallas Mavericks handed the Boston Celtics one of their ugliest losses of the year on Thursday night, staying in command from start to finish in a 127-120 win at TD Garden.

It was another poor performance coming home from a successful road trip. The Celtics have the league’s best road record but continue to struggle at TD Garden, and on Thursday the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks dominated Boston, 127-120, to avenge last month’s loss in Dallas.

The Mavericks didn’t need departed superstar Luka Doncic in their first visit to TD Garden since the NBA Finals. They didn’t need his face-of-the-franchise replacement, either. With Anthony Davis not yet ready to debut for Dallas and two other starters unavailable,