We've got another exciting Southwest Division matchup on Thursday's NBA schedule as the Houston Rockets will visit the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is 3-1 overall and 2-0 at home, while Houston is 2-2 overall and 1-1 on the road. The Mavs won three of four meetings between the teams last season. The Rockets are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) in the 2024-25 NBA season, while the Mavericks are 3-1 ATS.
Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Mavs are favored by 6.5 points in the latest Rockets vs. Mavericks odds, and the over/under is 227.5 points. Before entering any Mavericks vs. Rockets picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 2 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 98-63 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning more than $2,900. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Mavs vs. Rockets. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Rockets vs. Mavs:
- Mavericks vs. Rockets spread: Mavericks -6.5
- Mavericks vs. Rockets over/under: 227.5 points
- Mavericks vs. Rockets money line: Mavericks: -253, Rockets: +206
- DAL: The Over is 4-0 for the Mavericks in the 2024-25 NBA season
- HOU: The Rockets are 12-17-1 ATS as a road underdog since last season
- Mavericks vs. Rockets picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Mavericks vs. Rockets streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Rockets can cover
The Rockets snuck past the San Antonio Spurs with a 106-101 win on Monday. Houston can attribute much of its success to Jalen Green, who went 7 for 13 from beyond the arc en route to 36 points. As a team, the Rockets knocked down 40.5% of their three-point attempts, and center Alperen Sengun filled up the box score with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Houston is bringing it defensively early in the 2024-25 NBA season, ranking third in points allowed per game and sixth in defensive rating. All five starters are averaging in double-figures, with Green's 28.8 ppg ranking eighth in the league. Since the start of last season, Houston is 47-37-2 ATS, which is tied for the fifth-best cover percentage in the NBA. See which team to pick here.
Why the Mavericks can cover
Meanwhile, the Mavericks didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 120-114 victory. Kyrie Irving was the offensive standout of the game as he went 6 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 35 points plus five assists. Luka Doncic had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help offset a quiet night from Klay Thompson, who had just seven points.
Dallas has a balanced unit, ranking among the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating. The team is also extremely efficient as it commits the fewest turnovers per game, with Doncic averaging only 2.8 turnovers after averaging 4.0 last season. Since the start of last year, Dallas is 11-6 (64.7%) against the spread in divisional games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Mavericks vs. Rockets picks
The model has simulated Mavs vs. Rockets 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that hits in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rockets vs. Mavs on Thursday, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rockets vs. Mavericks spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
