Houston Rockets James Harden

Rockets are the Worst Bet in the NBA

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the rivalries. A pair of Lone Star State clubs who simply do not like each other are set to do battle Friday when the Houston Rockets face off against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Dallas claimed the first meeting between the clubs this season on Nov. 14 when they escaped Houston with a 110-98 victory.

Shark Bites
  • The Rockets are 8-3 SU and ATS in their last 11 games against the Mavericks.
  • The Mavericks are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
  • The visiting team is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games in this matchup.

Even the most in-the-know prognosticators couldn’t have predicted where the Mavs and Rockets would be in the standings at the quarter mark of the season. Houston (8-11 SU) has looked downright bad on multiple occasions in a year where many expected them to be contending for the Western Conference crown. On the other side of the coin, Dallas (11-8 SU) has been a pleasant surprise in the 2015 campaign in a season where many predicted they would sink to the bottom of the standings.

Perhaps the oddsmakers have been giving too much respect to the Rockets, but the bottom line is Houston has not been getting the job done at the betting window. James Harden and company own an atrocious 5-14 ATS record through 19 games, bad enough to make them the worst bet in the NBA.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had the Dallas Mavericks installed as -6-point favorites in this particular NBA matchup. The over-under betting line for the total number of point scored was listed by most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook, at 209.5.

Handicapping prediction models run by the computers at Odds Shark pick a 105-104 result in favor of the Mavericks. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NBA matchups here.

Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

The Houston Rockets will look to vanquish their hosts on Friday, as they are 5-14 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Dallas Mavericks are 12-7 ATS. Houston is 9-10 against the points scored total betting line, while Dallas is 9-10 versus the line. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Dallas vs Houston injuries news.

This game matches up the No. 17 (Dallas Mavericks) and the No. 19 (Rockets) teams in the league, according to our current NBA betting Power Rankings at Odds Shark.

Statistical Matchup

Offensively the game matches up Dallas's No. 14-ranked offense (100.79 PPG) against a Houston Rockets defense that ranks No. 28 at 107.58 PPG. The Dallas Mavericks have averaged 44.14% from the field per game, more than the Houston Rockets have managed so far this NBA season (42.12% on average).

Recent Outings Betting Recap

James Harden scored 24 points and added 24 rebounds for a double-double, leading Houston over New Orleans, 108-101, on Wednesday at Toyota Center.

The Mavericks got 30 points from Deron Williams as Dallas ran past Portland 115-112 on Tuesday at Moda Center.

Betting Trends
  • Houston is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games
  • Houston is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games
  • Houston is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games on the road
  • Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
  • Dallas is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
  • Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
  • Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Next Betting Matchups

Houston home to Sacramento, Saturday, December 5th
Dallas at Washington, Sunday, December 6th

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