Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview
Where: American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
When: Saturday, October 29, 2016, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast:
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Betting on the Houston Rockets
Head coach Mike D’Antoni’s run and gun offense with the Rockets didn’t have a successful debut, as they fell to a resilient young Lakers team, 120-114. The “You live by the three, you die by the three” phrase was very much alive in the game, with the Rockets making 6 of 13 attempts in the first half, and only going 1-for-16 in the second half.
James Harden, however, had a monster game in his first assignment as an official point guard, recording 34 points, eight rebounds, and a career-high 17 assists. Saturday night, he’ll try to have a follow-up performance when they visit crosstown and Southwest division rivals Dallas Mavericks.
Among Harden, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and Trevor Ariza, Houston’s four main shooters, no one has an appealing career shooting rate against Dallas, as all are below 44 percent. We’ll now see if they can up those stats – they’re chances should be good, this Mavs team just allowed the Indiana Pacers, a team not known for offense, to score 130 points.
The Rockets’ bigs, Clint Capela and Nene Hilario, who are bruisers down low, could have a favorable matchup with Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut and Dwight Powell in the paint.
Houston is 2-8 SU (3-7 ATS) in their last 10 games on the road.
Betting on the Dallas Mavericks
Like Houston, Dallas also didn’t have a pleasing debut, losing a 130-121 OT thriller to Indiana. A loss in a season opener isn’t exactly a cause for concern, but giving up that much points to a team that was 17th in scoring last season should be.
As the Mavericks look ahead, the number one thing they have to address is their defense, particularly in the paint. They got exposed by Indy’s second-year center Myles Turner, lighting them up for 30 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. The whole Pacers squad shot for 50.5 percent.
Offensively, the Mavs should be ready to answer everything the Rockets could bring. They can run the floor and are equipped with plenty of shooters – Dirk Nowitzki, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, JJ Barea, and Deron Williams have 4,756 career threes between them.
Dallas took a whopping 48 threes in the opener (making 18), and it could once again happen against a Rockets team with a lethargic D.
The Mavericks have lost three straight games at home (0-3 ATS) .
Writer’s Prediction
The Rockets win, 118-110.
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