The Houston Rockets (40-24) will take on the Dallas Mavericks (40-27) Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Arena in Orlando, Fla., for a 9:00 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Rockets-Mavericks NBA betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Rockets vs. Mavericks: Key injuries
Rockets:
- PG Russell Westbrook (quarantine) probable
- SG Eric Gordon (ankle) out
- SG Austin Rivers (personal) out
- SF Thabo Sefolosha (personal) out
- SF DeMarre Carroll (hamstring) probable
Mavericks:
- SF Marcus Kidd-Gilchrist (out)
- SG Courtney Lee (calf) out
- SG Seth Curry (ankle) probable
- C Dwight Powell (Achilles) out
- PG Jalen Brunson (shoulder) out
- C Willie Cauley-Stein (personal) out
- SF Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) probable
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Rockets vs. Mavericks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Mavericks 118, Rockets 115
Moneyline (ML)
The MAVERICKS (-134) are slight “home” favorites over the Rockets on Friday night in the first game of the NBA restart for both teams. While it’s tough to rely on data from March, it’s worth noting that the Rockets were struggling mightily before the NBA season was suspended. They had lost four of their five final games with their only win coming against a bad Minnesota team. And without SG Eric Gordon in the line-up, Dallas is a bad match-up for Houston. Take Dallas to win this game on Friday night.
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The MAVERICKS (-2) are two-point favorites over the Rockets are Friday night, so this is the better bet if you decide to take Dallas. The payout for this spread is -110, which gives you a bit more value than the moneyline. It’s worth noting that SF Marcus Kidd-Gilchrist will not play in tonight’s game, which gives the Mavericks one less wing defender to match up with SG James Harden and PG Russell Westbrook. However, look for the Mavs to win and cover this small spread on Friday.
Over/Under (O/U)
The total for this Western Conference matchup is set at 231.5, which feels about right considering these are two of the best three offenses in the NBA. Both teams averaged over 116 points per game in the regular season and both struggled on the other end of the court as well. While this game could get a bit sloppy and the shooting could be erratic, expect a ton of points to be scored and for the OVER to hit in Orlando.
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