Basketball fans will be paying close attention to the 2024 March Madness tournament on Sunday as the finals will be played in two regions. However, for those who prefer the professional ranks, the NBA has a huge slate of games available. In one of the games, the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets will meet on Easter Sunday, March 31st, 2024 (7:10 PM ET). The Rockets are home underdogs in the game at +1.5 (bet365) but they have won 11 straight contests. My Mavericks vs Rockets prediction is that the latter team will win outright or with the help of the small handicap.
NBA Matchup: Mavericks vs Rockets
Away: Dallas Mavericks
Home: Houston Rockets
Game time: Sunday, March 31st, 2024 @ 7:10 PM ET
Mavericks vs Rockets odds (home team's spread): +1.5 (bet365)
Dallas vs Houston Prediction: Latest NBA Headlines
The Dallas Mavericks last played on Friday, a game that they won on the road over the Sacramento Kings 107-103. It was the team's sixth straight victory and 10th win in their last 11 games. Like Houston, Dallas is a team that is playing their best basketball right now. The Rockets have won four straight on the road with a couple of double-digit victories during this time.
Dallas Mavericks injuries: recent news
As of late on Saturday, Luka Doncic is questionable for the game. That right there is a major hangup for the betting action on Dallas. His ESPN profile says that he has a sore right knee. Dallas is under plenty of pressure due to the situation in the standings. They could appear in the play-in tournament if they are not careful. Conversely, they could hope for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference still. Due to this pressure, you would think that Doncic would be playing unless it would be a major risk.
The Mavericks will also be missing Josh Green. However, he has not played since March 14th and the Mavs have gone undefeated since then.
Double-check for playing status updates with Dallas (00:40 ET time of writing): Team's Depth Chart
The Rockets last played on Friday, a game where they edged the Utah Jazz 101-100. During their current 11-game winning streak, they have had a very soft schedule. However, the few times that they hav drawn a talented team, they have still won, namely against Sacramento, Cleveland, and OKC. The win over the Thunder was in a game that OKC hosted, which is a tough win in the NBA this season.
Houston Rockets: Recent Form Alert
Formerly: 27 - 35 heading into March 8th, 2024
Currently: 38 - 35 (overall)
Recent form: 11 - 0 since March 8th, 2024
Recent winning rate: 1.000
What could be pointed out with the winning streak above is that it is correlational with the injury to Alperen Sengun. He has not appeared in a game since March 10th and Houston is undefeated ever since he was dropped from the active roster. That is counterintuitive but that the injury to the starting center has not hurt the team cannot be ignored.
Houston Rockets injuries: recent news
Besides the injury to Sengun, Houston is not in bad shape. Cam Whitmore has been out lately but his playing status has been upgraded to "probable" for this game.
Double-check status updates Houston (00:40 ET time of writing):: Team's Depth Chart
Mavericks vs Rockets Prediction: Betting Tips
Dallas is hard to back in this game without an update on Doncic. But even if he plays, there are still the home-and-away splits to consider. Dallas is 22-14 on the road while Houston is 26-11 at home. That's a slight edge in the Rockets' favor in this game. In regard to Doncic, he has missed enough games this season that you can take Houston and hope that he misses. If he plays, then you can still hope that he's being used in a game where he is not 100%. I think bettors should take the handicap on Houston in this one, which is just +1.5 but better than nothing (bet365).
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