The Dallas Mavericks get set to clash against the Houston Rockets Friday night inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. They tip it off at 8:00 pm.  Bookmaker has installed the Rockets as a slim 2.5 point favorite. 

 

The Mavericks (16-11) have hit a rough little patch, as they dropped two straight and three of four overall. They are coming off a rough home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, 120-111, on Thursday night. They hung in there, but the Clippers veterans took over as they pulled away.

 

Point Guard and perennial All-Star and MVP candidate Luka Doncic played well and netted 28 in a losing cause. On the season, Doncic is averaging 32 a game and in his career he has had some big time games against the Rockets, averaging a monster 41 a game. He has the potential to take over this game at any point. 

 

Look for the Mavericks to cut him loose and let him create his own shots and opportunities. Dallas on the season connects on 56% from the floor, including 37% from beyond the arc. They have some solid shooters and a decent bench too. Veteran point guard Kyrie Irving is a nice player and once he is engaged he can play at the highest level. He is contributing 23 a game but is dealing with some injuries regarding his heel and it is yet to be seen if he suits up and plays Friday night. 

 

The Rockets (13-12) have dropped three straight games and this is coming off a solid five game winning streak where it looked like they figured things out. They are an up and down team and right now they need to figure out a way to stop the bleeding.

 

They are coming into this game fresh off a 134-127 loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. Their offense played well, but their defense was horrible late in the fourth quarter as the Hawks pulled away for the seven point margin of victory. 

 

On offense, the Rockets are led by veteran guard Fred VanVleet who is scoring 17 a game and he is also doing a nice job of getting his teammates involved. He is averaging a team-high nine assists per contest and in his career he has had some solid games against Dallas. They need to slow down the guard play of the Mavericks and also make sure that Doncic does not have a big night like has had in the past. 

 

The Rockets are 2-3 in their last five games and they are also 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are also 5-6 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in four out of their last five games and four out of their last 13 games at home. Dallas is 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. They are also 9-5 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in just two out of their last five games at home.