Dallas Mavericks (16-16) vs. Houston Rockets (9-22)
December 23, 2022 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Rockets +5.5; Over/Under: +224
(Get latest betting odds)
The Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets collide at the Toyota Center on Friday night.
The Dallas Mavericks have been in a rut as they’ve lost five of their last eight games, but they will be eager to build some momentum in this one after sneaking past the Timberwolves in a 104-99 road win on Wednesday. Luka Doncic led the team with 25 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 21 points while Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in with 19 points. As a team, the Mavericks shot 45 percent from the field and 13 of 39 from the 3-point line as they went back and forth with the Timberwolves in a tight contest until late in the fourth quarter where the Mavericks used a decisive 14-5 run to pull away and earn the much-needed victory.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in a slump as they’ve lost eight of their last 12 games overall and they will be hoping to arrest a four-game slide after coming up short against the red-hot Magic in a 116-110 loss on Wednesday. Kevin Porter Jr. led the way with 31 points, six rebounds and five assists, Jalen Green added 21 points with eight rebounds while Kenyon Martin Jr. chipped in with 18 points on seven of 11 shooting off the bench. As a team, the Rockets shot 46 percent from the field and 17 of 43 from the 3-point line as they got off to a solid start and poured in 64 points in the first half to lead by as many as 15 points, but the turnovers started to pile up in the second half to allow the Magic to run them down in the end.
Looking at the betting trends, the Mavericks are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 road games, 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a losing record and 8-18-2 ATS in their last 28 games overall. The Rockets are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four home games and 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games overall.
Head to head, the under is 5-1 in the last six meetings overall and the Mavericks are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Houston.
The Mavericks will be shorthanded again as Josh Green, Kemba Walker and Dorian Finney-Smith are currently listed as out, while the Rockets have ruled out Eric Gordon and they are keeping an eye on Garrison Matthews who is questionable. The Mavericks have been playing well below their best lately and they are only 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a losing record, but with the line so short, I’ll stick with the Mavericks to get the win and cover in this spot.
