The Dallas Mavericks are in Houston tonight for a critical meeting with their division rivals, the Rockets. The two teams, who have already met on two occasions this season, are vying for position in the Western conference's Southwest division. The big game tips off at 8:00pm ET and will be televised live on ESPN.
NBA Picks: Dallas Mavericks vs Houston Rockets at online bookmaker SBGglobal.com have the Rockets listed as a -3.5 against the spread home favorite.
The Rockets, who are in the midst of a six game home stand, have won back-to-back games coming into tonight's tilt with the Mavericks. The Sacamento Kings played the foil on the Wednesday before the break, losing 94-82, while the New Jersey Nets provided the fodder on Tuesday night, getting pounded 114-88.
Houston, who will be without star guard Tracy McGrady for the rest of the season, had five players in double figures against the Nets as they shot 51.7 percent from three point range. Yao Ming led the team with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocked shots.
At 33-21, the Rockets are tied for second in the Southwest standings with the New Orleans Hornets; both squads trail the Spurs by three and a half games. Just a half game back, though, are the Mavericks with a 32-21 record.
Rick Adelman's club, which ranks sixth in the Western Conference standings, is 20-6 at the Toyota Center this season. They are averaging 100.4 points per game there, while giving up a lowly 92.3 per outing to opposing units.
The Mavericks are one of the hotter teams in the league over the last 10 games as they have garnered seven wins in that span. The did suffer a home loss to the Celtics prior to All-Star weekend, but they recovered by scorching the Nets 113-98. Dallas also had five players in double figures against New Jersey's hapless road defense; they shot 54.5 percent for the field and an astounding 71.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Dallas is 14-13 on the road this year and 4-4 versus division opponents. They did beat the Rockets in Houston back in November by a score of 96-86. Their road scoring average of 98.9 per game ranks 11th in the NBA.
SBGglobal.com's NBA Picks: Dallas Mavericks vs Houston Rockets
Dallas Mavericks +3.5 (-110), Over 198.5 (-110)
Houston Rockets -3.5 (-110), Under 198.5 (-110)
NBA Betting Trend: The Mavericks are 8-2 straight and against the spread in their last 10 games versus the Rockets in Houston.
