Wednesday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets will be a little more interesting because Tracy McGrady is expected to return to the starting lineup for the Rockets. McGrady practiced Monday and was able to go through some regular drills. His return is needed by the Rockets who have lost four straight, the last two without him. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Mavericks on the Road.
NBA Betting Preview
Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets
Wednesday, 7:35 pm Eastern – ESPN
SBG Global Opening Line: Rockets -2 , Total 190
The Rockets got off to a 6-1 start but four straight losses have definitely hurt. The losing streak is Houston's longest since dropping four in a row in April of last year. There are a number of reasons Houston has struggled lately including a porous defense that allowed Phoenix to shoot 62.3 percent from the field on Saturday.
"We need to break (the losing streak) and get a win against somebody," head coach Rick Adelman said. "We have to play much better offensively. We're looking too much to the first option of every play and then we're not making shots because of that. But even though we've been struggling, we haven't had many games where we've had a letdown defensively. I don't know if that happened against Phoenix or if they were just that good. But we can't break down at that end. We have to stay within striking distance."
SBG Global Current Line: Rockets -2 , Total 190
What has also hurt the Rockets during McGrady’s absence is the play of Yao Ming. He has averaged just 13 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the two games without McGrady. "I didn't play my game," Yao said. "I didn't get the ball (against San Antonio) because of the front defense and against Phoenix because of their speed. My foul troubles have taken me out of a lot of games. It's almost like I never went to the game. I just need to play my game."
McGrady was leading the league in scoring before his injury and had scored more than 30 points in four of Houston's games. "I set a goal for myself to play 82 games," McGrady said. "But I guess I'll have to settle for 80."
The Mavericks will be playing a difficult part of their schedule in the next few weeks. “It’s eight in the next 12 days if you want to be exact,” guard Devin Harris said, “We know we have a tough stretch coming up all the way to Christmas. We’ve got to be mentally prepared and take care of our bodies.” The Mavs don’t have at least two consecutive days off until after facing the Clippers on Dec. 21st. That makes 19 games in 32 days, including five sets of back-to-backs. “That’s about as tough of a stretch as I’ve seen in my career,” said Dirk Nowitzki, “We feel we’ve got one of the deepest teams in the league, which should help us,”
Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Mavericks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Wednesday games. The Mavericks are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games playing on no rest. The Mavericks are 39-17-1 ATS in their last 57 vs. the Southwest. The Mavericks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. the Western Conference. The Mavericks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games.
The Mavericks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Mavericks are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
The Rockets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 home games. The Rockets are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 games overall. The Rockets are 9-26 ATS in their last 35 vs. the Western Conference. The Rockets are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 vs. the Southwest. The Rockets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Wednesday games. The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between the two teams.
The Over is 5-1 in the Mavericks last 6 vs. the Western Conference. The Under is 7-2 in the Mavericks last 9 road games. The Over is 6-2 in thye Mavericks last 8 overall. The Under is 12-4 in the Mavericks last 16 games playing on no rest. The Under is 11-4-1 in the Mavericks last 16 vs. the Southwest. The Under is 21-8-2 in the Mavericks last 31 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Over is 5-2 in the Mavericks last 7 Wednesday games.
The Over is 7-3 in the Rockets last 10 Wednesday games. The Under is 14-6 in the Rockets last 20 vs. the Southwest. The Under is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings in Houston between the two teams.
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