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
- Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: KFAA Channel 29 (KMPX)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $62.72
What to Know
The Houston Rockets’ homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Dallas Mavericks at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Toyota Center. The Rockets’ defense has only allowed 106.6 points per game this season, so the Mavericks’ offense will have their work cut out for them.
The experts predicted the Rockets would be headed in after a victory, but the Heat made sure that didn’t happen. The Rockets took a 104-100 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Heat. The loss hurts even more since Houston was up 73-61 with 5:19 left in the third.
Even though they lost, the Rockets smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds (they’re ranked first in offensive rebounds per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks came up short against the Kings on Monday and fell 110-100. Dallas got off to an early lead (up 18 with 0:50 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren’t able to maintain that momentum.
Despite the defeat, the Mavericks had strong showings from Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 30 points in addition to six assists, and PJ Washington, who earned 28 points plus two blocks. Dinwiddie is trending in the right direction considering he’s improved his point production for three straight games.
Houston’s loss dropped their record down to 21-11. As for Dallas, they have been struggling recently as they’ve lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 20-13 record this season.
Looking ahead, the Rockets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This contest will be their seventh straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 3-3 against the spread).
The Rockets didn’t have too much breathing room in their matchup against the Mavericks when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but they still walked away with a 108-102 win. Will the Rockets repeat their success, or do the Mavericks have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Houston is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 5.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 222 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Dallas has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Oct 31, 2024 – Houston 108 vs. Dallas 102
- Apr 07, 2024 – Dallas 147 vs. Houston 136
- Mar 31, 2024 – Dallas 125 vs. Houston 107
- Dec 22, 2023 – Houston 122 vs. Dallas 96
- Nov 28, 2023 – Dallas 121 vs. Houston 115
- Jan 02, 2023 – Dallas 111 vs. Houston 106
- Dec 29, 2022 – Dallas 129 vs. Houston 114
- Dec 23, 2022 – Dallas 112 vs. Houston 106
- Nov 16, 2022 – Houston 101 vs. Dallas 92
- Mar 23, 2022 – Dallas 110 vs. Houston 91
