Two Texas-based franchises – Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets – will lock horns for the third time this season on Friday evening. Their previous two duels were won by Dallas, however, when it comes to the all-time record, Houston still has a lead.

Oddsmakers, however, don’t believe the Rockets will be able to improve their head-to-head record with the Mavericks. The reason? Houston’s players haven’t been playing great basketball in the 2021-22 season. In fact, they’re currently sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, Dallas is in the #6 place in the conference, with a good chance of moving higher. In fact, with a little bit of luck, the Mavericks could get to the #4 place by the end of the week.

Where and When to Watch

• Date: Friday, March 11
• Time: 8:00 PM EDT
• Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
• Watch: NBA League Pass

Dallas Mavericks Looking to Bounce Back After a Surprising Defeat

Dallas’ superb run with five straight wins ended on Wednesday evening when they lost to the New York Knicks at home. Despite coming into the game as huge -400 favorites, the Mavericks ended up losing by 30 points.

It was a shocking loss, but it served as a reminder to Dallas’ players that they mustn’t relax even when playing against huge underdogs. Some of the Mavericks’ players did seem to be out of focus, probably believing they’re going to have an easy job on their hands. 

However, the same doesn’t apply to Dallas’ biggest star, who was once again marvelous. The man in question is Luka Doncic, whom we saw put away 31 points in that game – more than anyone else in either team.

Doncic has been phenomenal throughout the season, with 20+ points in all but two games in 2022. He is the man who will probably be in the spotlight on Friday. There’s no doubt he will do great, but his teammates also need to step up in order to ensure a win. Still, they probably don’t need to go all-in this time as their opponent is one of the worst teams in the league.

Is There Any Hope for Houston Rockets This Season?

With a 17-49 record, Houston is by far the worst team in the conference. At the moment of writing, the Rockets have 10 wins fewer than the closest team from the playoff zone. That said, getting to the postseason in 2022 seems like a mission impossible for this team.

This goes especially for the fact that their form has been pretty disappointing. Sure, they did win two of their previous three games, but before that, we saw them lose 12 straight games.

On the bright side, the two games they won, both were played in Houston. Still, despite those wins, their home record remains among the worst in the league. Right now, the Rockets are 10-21 at Toyota Center.

Pick: Dallas Mavericks to Win and Cover the Spread