Houston vs Dallas NBA Betting Guide

As we head into the final few games of the regular season, we start to seriously consider which teams have a legitimate shot of winning it all, and which ones are essentially setting themselves up as lambs to the slaughter once postseason play begins. NBA lines are a little trickier to handicap in the West, but there are a couple of exceptions. Two teams that seem to be heading in opposite directions, the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks, meet up at the American Airlines Center on Thursday night.

Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks NBA Betting Guide

Date: Thursday, April 02, 2015Time: 8:30PMVenue: American Airlines CenterOpening Line: Dallas -2.5 

OFFICIAL: Patrick Beverley to miss rest of season following surgery on left wrist. RELEASE- http://t.co/e1IAb9KTma pic.twitter.com/CzpOfAdAQJ— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 30, 2015

 

NBA Lines Analysis and Game Preview

The Dallas Mavericks are a team with a huge question mark over their head at the moment. Currently occupying the 7th seed in the West, they have been on a slide that is not what you would expect from a team about to make a big run in the playoffs. They are just 5-5 in their last 10, and lost Monta Ellis to injury last week, although there is some suggestion that he may be back in the lineup on Wednesday night for the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This injury may be something of a blessing in disguise for Ellis, as there have been some who suggested that his current play warranted a bit of a break. That said, he has been a stalwart in the NBA, playing 237 consecutive games before going down against the Spurs. With Ellis out, the Mavs are going to have to lean hard on Charlie Parsons, who has been excellent since the All-Star break.You don’t have to be a hug follower of the Houston Rockets to know who they out their faith in. James Harden is going to get some serious consideration for the league MVP, and he will now be getting a bit of help with Dwight Howard back in the lineup. The key to stopping the Rockets may well be keeping Harden off the free throw line, as Houston are a staggering 30-5 when The Beard scores 10 or more points from free throws. The Rockets will be looking to bounce back and get back to winning ways after dropping their last outing to the Raptors. When you consider that they are 7-3 in their last 10, doing so should not be that tough.

Key Betting Trends

Dallas is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 gamesDallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 gamesThe total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas’s last 9 gamesThe total has gone UNDER in 14 of Dallas’s last 20 gamesHouston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 gamesHouston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

Consider This Before Placing Your Bet

There are some genuine concerns in Dallas right now, and I think the natives will be a little more restless after Thursday night. I like the Rockets to improve upon the 2-1 season series lead they have over Dallas right now.