Who’s playing
Dallas Mavericks@Houston Rockets
Current records: Dallas 20-13, Houston 21-11
How to watch
- When: Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
- Or: Toyota Center – Houston, TX
- TV: KFAA channel 29 (KMPX)
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $62.72
What you need to know
The Houston Rockets’ home game will continue as they prepare to take on the Dallas Mavericks at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defense has only allowed 106.6 points per game this season, so the Mavericks offense will have its work cut out for it.
Pundits predicted the Rockets would be heading in after a win, but the Heat made sure that didn’t happen. The Rockets took a 104-100 hit in the loss column against the Heat. The loss hurt even more as Houston led 73-61 with 5:19 left in the third.
Even though they lost, the Rockets broke the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds (they are ranked first in total offensive rebounds per game). This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in five straight games.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks fell short against the Kings on Monday and lost 110-100. Dallas jumped out to an early lead (up 18 with 0:50 left in the first quarter), but unfortunately they were unable to maintain that momentum.
Despite the loss, the Mavericks had strong performances from Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 30 points to go along with six assists, and PJ Washington, who had 28 points plus two blocks. Dinwiddie is heading in the right direction considering he has improved his point production for three straight games.
Houston’s loss dropped its record to 21-11. As for Dallas, they have struggled recently as they have lost three of their last four games, which has significantly dented their 20-13 record this season.
Looking ahead, the Rockets are the favorites as experts expect them to win by 5.5 points. This contest will be the seventh in a row as a favorite (so far in this stretch they are 3-3 against the spread).
The Rockets didn’t have much breathing room in their matchup against the Mavericks in the teams’ last game in October 2024, but they still came away with a 108-102 victory. Will the Rockets repeat their success, or will the Mavericks have a better game plan this time around? We’ll know soon enough.
Odds
Houston is a solid 5.5 point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The punters were perfectly in tune with the betting community on this point, as the game opened with a 5.5 point spread and stayed there.
The over/under is 222 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Dallas has won 7 of its last 10 games against Houston.
- October 31, 2024 – Houston 108 vs. Dallas 102
- April 7, 2024 – Dallas 147 vs. Houston 136
- March 31, 2024 – Dallas 125 vs. Houston 107
- December 22, 2023 – Houston 122 vs. Dallas 96
- November 28, 2023 – Dallas 121 vs. Houston 115
- January 2, 2023 – Dallas 111 vs. Houston 106
- December 29, 2022 – Dallas 129 vs. Houston 114
- December 23, 2022 – Dallas 112 vs. Houston 106
- November 16, 2022 – Houston 101 vs. Dallas 92
- March 23, 2022 – Dallas 110 vs. Houston 91
