Mavericks vs. Rockets Monday Prediction
Western Conference foes meet in Houston on Monday night when the Rockets host the Mavericks at 8:00 p.m. ET. With the Rockets only laying a single point, will they cover or are the Mavs the better bet to win on the road?
Game Snapshot
583 Dallas Mavericks (+1) at 584 Houston Rockets (-1); o/u N/A
8:00 p.m. ET, Monday, January 4, 2021
Venue: Toyota Center (Houston), Houston, TX
TV: NBA/TV
Dallas Mavericks DFS Spin
Luka Doncic (bruised left quad) will not play vs. the Bulls on Sunday. Luka got hurt while racking up 27/15/7 vs. the Heat on Friday, a win that proved to be costlier than we knew at the time. He wasn’t ruled out until 90 minutes prior to tip-off on Sunday, so perhaps this was a simple precaution in the first half of a back-to-back set. We’ll consider him questionable to return vs. the Rockets on Monday, and in the meantime it’ll be a team-wide effort to replace Doncic’s stats. Jalen Brunson and Trey Burke should get the bulk of the point guard duties in his absence.
Houston Rockets DFS Spin
James Harden (right ankle sprain) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against Dallas. Harden was a late scratch for Saturday’s win over Sacramento, a move that thrust Eric Gordon into the starting lineup. Gordon, who was also asked to serve as Houston’s backup point guard, and John Wall would be the biggest beneficiaries with regard to fantasy value if Harden were to be ruled out for a second straight game.
Mavericks vs. Rockets Betting Prediction
The Mavericks have covered the spread in five of their last seven meetings with the Rockets and are 4-1 against the number in their last five trips to Houston. They’re also 21-9-1 at the betting window in their last 31 road games when facing an opponent with a winning home record and are 7-3 against the number in their last 10 games when their starting five players combine for more than 160 minutes of the previous day.
The Rockets, meanwhile, failed to cover the spread in six of their last eight games overall. They’re also just 2-7 against the number in their last nine games versus an opponent with a losing record, are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games coming off an ATS win and have failed to cover in four of their last five games overall.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: DALLAS MAVERICKS +1
