Who’s Playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets
Current Records: Dallas 16-11, Houston 13-12
How To Watch
- When: Friday, December 22, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: Bally Sports Southwest Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $46.46
What to Know
The Mavericks are 8-2 against the Rockets since April of 2021, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Dallas Mavericks will head out on the road to face off against the Houston Rockets at 8:00 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they’ll have plenty of motivation to get the ‘W’.
Last Wednesday, Dallas couldn’t handle Los Angeles and fell 120-111. The Mavericks have now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, the Rockets’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They took a 134-127 hit to the loss column at the hands of Atlanta. The Rockets didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
The Rockets’ loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Jabari Smith, who shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 34 points and 13 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet who dropped a double-double on 32 points and 15 assists. VanVleet continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he’s played.
Dallas has been struggling recently, as they’ve lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 16-11 record this season. As for Houston, their defeat ended an 11-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-12.
The Rockets are probably breathing a sigh of relief since Luka Doncic is out with an injury to his quadriceps. The last time Doncic took on the Rockets was back in November, where he almost dropped a triple-double on 41 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. His performance led Dallas to a 121-115 victory over Houston.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Mavericks haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.4 turnovers per game (they’re ranked first in turnovers per game overall). However, it’s not like the Rockets struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 12.5 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Odds
Houston is a big 8.5-point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Rockets as a 2.5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 225.5 points.
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Series History
Dallas has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Nov 28, 2023 – Dallas 121 vs. Houston 115
- Jan 02, 2023 – Dallas 111 vs. Houston 106
- Dec 29, 2022 – Dallas 129 vs. Houston 114
- Dec 23, 2022 – Dallas 112 vs. Houston 106
- Nov 16, 2022 – Houston 101 vs. Dallas 92
- Mar 23, 2022 – Dallas 110 vs. Houston 91
- Mar 11, 2022 – Dallas 113 vs. Houston 100
- Jan 07, 2022 – Dallas 130 vs. Houston 106
- Oct 26, 2021 – Dallas 116 vs. Houston 106
- Apr 07, 2021 – Houston 102 vs. Dallas 93
