Rockets Still Favored to Win Southwest at -275 Despite Mavericks (+200) Owning Better Division Record
- Oddsmakers favor the Houston Rockets at -275 to win the NBA Southwest Division
- Houston (21-10) tops the division by a half-game over the Dallas Mavericks (20-10)
- The Mavericks (7-0) own a better divisional record than the Rockets (4-2) though
There are plenty of similarities between the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. Those parallels go beyond both being situated in the state of Texas and the NBA’s Southwest Division.
The Rockets live and die on the play of their superstar guard, two-time NBA scoring champion James Harden. The Mavericks live and die on the play of their superstar small forward, reigning NBA rookie of the year Luka Doncic.
Houston was an NBA champion but it was a long time ago. Dallas was an NBA champion but it was a long time ago.
So which team is better? At this point of the NBA season, that’s a tough call. Houston (21-10) tops the division by a half-game over the Dallas Mavericks (20-10). However, the Mavericks (7-0) own a better divisional record than the Rockets (4-2).
Oddsmakers still like the Rockets to win the division. They lists the Rockets as odds-on -275 favorites to win the Southwest title in the NBA Divisional odds. The Mavericks are the second betting choice in this market at +200.
2019-20 NBA Southwest Division Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Houston Rockets | -275 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +200 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +2000 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +25000 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +25000 |
Odds taken Dec. 27th
Houston has worn the past two Southwest Division crowns. Dallas most recently were division champs in 2009-10.
Houston’s Still Problematic
When the Rockets are on their game, you want to bottle their excellence. When they are being handled by a much weaker club, such as their Christmas Day setback against injury-depleted Golden State, you wonder how such mediocre teams can bottle up the Rockets so easily.
Something has clicked with Russell Westbrook. His scoring/shooting in his first 19 games in Houston:
21.7 pts on 39.9% FG, 21.1% 3P (5.4 attempts), 73.7% FT. Rockets were 12-7.
In his last 8 games:
29.1 pts on 50.0% FG, 36.4% 3P (4.1 attempts), 87.5% FT. Rockets are 7-1.
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) December 24, 2019
Harden leads the NBA with 31.8 points per game. That’s the one constant on this often confounding ballclub. Houston opened the season 3-3. Then the Rockets won eight in a row. And then they lost three straight.
Against the Warriors, the Rockets were 7-for-29 from beyond the arc.
Wow! Is trading Russell Westbrook actually a possibility for the Houston Rockets? 👀👀 #nba #nbatwitter #houstonrockets pic.twitter.com/c0SiMLB2XF
— Rockets Nation (@RocketsNationCP) December 27, 2019
The Harden-Russell Westbrook marriage has taken time to warm up, and there’s even speculation that Houston might seek to deal Westbook. But lately, he looks more like a keeper.
Westbrook has averaged 29.2 points over the past nine games. He scored 40 points in a road win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Houston is 9-1 when Westbook makes at least half his shots.
Mavericks On the Rise
Someday – perhaps someday soon – Doncic will be held in the same regard as Harden across the NBA. Already, he’s Harden for the Mavericks.
Harden has scored at least 30 points in 22 games this season. He’s been Houston’s leading scorer in all but six games this season.
24 PTS | 10 REB | 8 AST@luka7doncic picks up where he left off as the @dallasmavs defeat SAS in his return to the court! #MFFL pic.twitter.com/WkbTLMDYZP
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2019
Doncic has scored at least 30 points in 12 games this season. He’s been the leading scoring for Dallas in 20 games. Dallas went 2-2 when Doncic recently missed four games due to an ankle injury. He collected 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in his return to action during Thursday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs.
With Doncic, the Mavericks won back-to-back games against Golden State and the Cleveland Cavaliers by a combined margin of 90 points. Without Doncic, Dallas blew a 30-point lead and lost to the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors.
Rockets Should Still Rule
In their lone meeting thus far this season on Nov. 24th, the Mavericks outscored the Rockets 137-123. Doncic also won the head-to-head shooting match with Harden, netting 41 points to Harden’s 32.
In the long run, the Rockets are likely still too skilled, experienced and deep for the Mavericks to outlast. But the divisional record does make things interesting.
The Mavericks and Rockets meet again on Jan. 31st at Houston. Their final two meetings come during the final three weeks of the season and both in Dallas, on March 23rd and April 7th.
Shannon: The Western Conference is a 3-team race between the Lakers, Clippers and the Houston Rockets. pic.twitter.com/n4ObrSNVqR
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) December 21, 2019
If Dallas stays neck-and-neck with Houston, Doncic matches with Harden on the scoreboard and Kristaps Porzingis utilizes his length to thwart the pick-and-roll game of Harden and Westbook, the situation could get tense for the Rockets. But that’s a lot of ifs in play.
The Mavericks will eventually knock the Rockets from their mantle as the best the NBA Southwest has to offer. But it won’t be this season.
Pick: Houston Rockets (-275).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
