NBA Predictions: Rockets vs Mavs Picks
NBA Basketball playoff betting sees the Houston Rockets taking on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the First Round in the NBA Western Conference. Cappers Picks provides free NBA Basketball handicapping tips all season long.
Things haven’t gone to plan for the Mavericks as the dramatics continue for them with PG Rajon Rondo.
NBA Basketball Odds
Houston Rockets (2-0) vs. Dallas Mavericks (0-2)
Friday, April 24th
7:00 PM ET
American Airlines Arena (Dallas, TX)
ESPN
NBA Basketball Betting Lines: Dallas +1
NBA Basketball O/U: 215
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Now, they’ll prepare for Game 3 as they look to avoid going into a 3-0 hole without the point guard.
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The Rockets have not only dominated the first two games of the series, but they’ll shoot for a commanding lead in the series against a team without Rondo and Parsons.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets knew they were in for a dogfight coming into this series. However, they’ve seemed to handle the pressure pretty well as they’ve blown out the Mavericks in the first two games of this series. After pulling away and beating them by 10 in Game 1, Houston was led by Dwight Howard’s 28 points in Game 2.
Howard has picked the right time to return to his old form, as he’s looked fantastic through the first two games. In game one, he battled with some foul trouble and only played 17 minutes. The big man still recorded 11 points and 5 rebounds in the win. In Game 2, he played 33 minutes and dropped in 28 and 12, including 8 of 11 from the free throw line.
James Harden hasn’t broke stride either as he’s dropped 24 points in both playoff games thus far. From the free throw line this series, Harden has gone an outstanding 28 of 30.
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Houston will look to take a 3-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time since the 1995 playoffs. The Rockets went on to sweep Orlando in that series as they won the Championship.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks will need the veterans such as Dirk Nowitzki, to step up in a big way if they have any hopes of coming back in this series.
Nowitzki kept the Mavs around in Game 1 going for 24 and 8, but in Game 2, he only manufactured 10 points. While he did grab 13 rebounds, he’ll need to do much more scoring if Dallas hopes to keep up with the Rockets’ fire power.
Along with Dirk, Tyson Chandler will need to step his game up. Chandler has scored 11 points in both games and has been unable to slow down Dwight Howard. While he’ll need to pick up his scoring, stoping Dwight from getting to the bucket and controlling the paint will be a major key.
The Mavs will receive a little boost with Devin Harris returning to the lineup following his absence from Game 2.
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Dallas went 27-14 in the regular season at home, which bodes well for them if they have hopes of getting back into this series.
NBA Basketball Trends:
- Rockets are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Rockets are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Mavericks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Mavericks are 6-16 ATS in their last 22 games overall.
Free 4* NBA Playoff Pick: Houston -1
With Rondo officially out and Parsons missing, Dallas will have some missing gaps on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Houston 108, Dallas 101
They’ve shown little effort in stopping Harden and Howard and things shouldn’t be any different come Friday. Houston takes a commanding 3-0 lead as they take the road game from Dallas.
Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds.
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