Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction NBA Picks 10/31/24

The Houston Rockets travel to the American Airlines Center to battle the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. Here’s a Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction. This article will include a Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks Pick.

The Houston Rockets have been in decent form as they’ve split their first four games overall and they will be eager to keep it going after taking down the Spurs in a 106-101 road win on Monday. Jalen Green drained seven 3-pointers to lead the team with 36 points on 11 of 22 shooting, Jabari Smith Jr added 17 points with eight rebounds while Alperen Sengun chipped in with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. As a team, the Rockets shot just 41 percent from the field and 15 of 37 from the 3-point line, but this win was about their effort on defense as they were always in control after limiting the Spurs to just 15 points in the first quarter. It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing the rest of the way as they saw their 21-point lead cut to just two points early in the fourth quarter. 

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks have hit the ground running this season with three wins in their first four games and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after beating the Timberwolves in a 120-114 road win on Tuesday. Kyrie Irving drained six 3-pointers to lead the team with 35 points and five assists, Luka Doncic added 24 points with eight rebounds and eight assists while PJ Washington chipped in with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. As a team, the Mavericks shot 48 percent from the field and 16 of 39 from the 3-point line as they got off to a sloppy start and fell into an early 10-point deficit before they responded with 67 points in the second and third quarters combined to take a 13-point lead. It was still a two-point game with 3:04 left in the fourth quarter before the Mavericks’ Irving and Doncic made the clutch shots to pull away in the end. The Mavs will face the Magic, Pacers, Bulls, and Suns following this one.

Why the Dallas Mavericks will win

• The Mavericks have won each of their last six games against Southwest Division opponents.
• The Rockets have lost seven of their last eight road games against Southwest Division opponents that held a winning record.
• The Mavericks have covered the spread in each of their last seven Thursday games as home favorites.
• The Rockets have failed to cover the spread in five of their last six games following a win.

The Rockets could still be shorthanded with Steven Adams currently listed as questionable due to a right knee injury, while the Mavericks are still without Dante Exum and Maxi Kleber. The Rockets will be happy with how they’ve started the season and they would’ve taken plenty of confidence from their gritty revenge win over the Spurs in their last outing. However, the Mavericks enter this meeting as the team in better form and they looked great in their win over the in-form Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Rockets will be well-rested as they haven’t played since Monday, so an upset could be on the cards here, but the Mavericks are healthy and are playing great basketball at the moment. Give me the Mavericks to maintain their momentum with a win and cover at the modest line.