Houston Rockets AT Dallas Mavericks
Jan 27, 2011 at 8:30 PM EST
Opening Line: Dallas -5
Current Line: Dallas -7
Opening Total: 204
Current Total: 205
Opening Moneyline: Dal -260 / Hou +220
Current Moneyline: Dal -310 / Hou +250
After a poor stint on the road, the Mavericks are happy to be at home again. And they made the most of it in their last outing against the Clippers, coming back from an 8 point deficit at halftime to win the game by 7. “This was a good start to a homestand,” said Mavs guard Jason Terry. “Obviously, we have ground to make up from what we lost when we had our key guys injured. And I think tonight was a good start.”
Dirk is not playing typical “Dirk ball” though. He’s averaging only 19.2 since returning from injury and only had 20 in that Clippers game against Clippers power forward Blake Griffin.
Houston also last played the Clippers and won the game by 13 after closing it out on a 26-10 run. The win represented the fifth in the last 7 games and the Rockets will try to build on it on the road where they are just 9-15.
Some betting trends:
Houston is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games and the total has gone OVER in 5 of their last 6 raod games. Houston is 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 games against the Mavericks. They are 6-16 SU in their last 22 against Dallas and the total has gone OVER in 5 of their last 7 games on the road against the Mavericks. Houston is 3-10 SU in their last 13 road games against the Mavs and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games in Dallas.
Dallas is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10. They are 15-6 SU in their last 21 home games and the total has gone OVER In 5 of their last 6 home games. Dallas is 16-6 SU in their last 22 games against the Rockets.
Key Matchups:
Luis Scola vs Dirk Nowitzki
Scola is playing on about the same level that the post-injury Nowitzki is. He’s scored in double figures in all but one Rocket game (a three point loss to Portland on January 5th). His numbers for his career against the Mavericks are a humble 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds, but Scola didn’t step his play up to the level it is at now until this season, so those numbers may appear a bit deflated. Last game Nowitzki outscored Scola 20 to 15 and outrebounded him 10 to 5, as well. The Rockets lost that game and were a struggling 5-12 at that point in the season. They’ve since improved and received Aaron Brooks back from injury, which is helping as well.
Kevin Martin vs DeShawn Stevenson & Jason Terry
Stevenson stepped up impressively as Caron Butler went down with an injury, but he has since cooled off and played only 18 minutes last game against the Clippers. Terry played the lion’s share of the minutes and scored 28 points on 11 of 22 shooting. Kevin Martin isn’t much of a defender, so the opportunity for Terry to have another big game is there. Martin led the Rockets with 17 points last meeting between the teams. Terry and Stevenson combined for 16 that night. The play from this shooting guard position will prove crucial since both teams rely on their respective shooting guards for a lot of offensive production.
NBA Oddsmakers set the line in Dallas’ favor and since betting opened it has shifted even further in their favor. With the Rockets’ play on the road, it is easy to see why the Mavs are now favored by 7.
