Rockets vs. Mavericks NBA expert prediction and odds for NBA In-Season Tournament

The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets face off in an NBA In-Season Tournament Group Play matchup on Tuesday night. 

Houston (2-1) is still alive for a wild card spot in the In-Season Tournament, but it needs to win this game by 17 or more points since the Phoenix Suns are already 3-1 with a +34 point differential. 

Can the team pick up a blowout victory over the Mavericks? It may be tough, but there still could be betting value on Houston. 

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Here are the latest betting odds and my best bet for this game: 

Houston Rockets injury report

Dallas Mavericks injury report

Houston Rockets

Alperen Sengun: Sengun is making a real case for the Most Improved Player award this season. The third-year big man is averaging 20.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from 3. Sengun is going to be tough to deal with for Dallas, who lacks a true elite big man. 

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic: Doncic is dealing with a thumb injury, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on offense in this one. On the season, Luka is averaging 30.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from 3. 

I am a huge fan of Houston in this game, as the team has been a spread-covering machine under new head coach Ime Udoka. 

The Rockets are 3-2 ATS as road dogs, but overall they are 10-3-1 against the spread this season. 

Dallas, on the other hand, is just 2-4 against the spread as a home favorite and could be down a key rotation piece in Lively II. Plus, Doncic’s thumb injury is something to watch on offense in this game. 

The Mavericks have played well to open this season, but they are just 5-5 in their last 10 games after starting 5-1. I’ll roll with Houston to cover this spread on Tuesday with an In-Season Tournament berth on the line.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.