Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction: Can Alperen Sengun Stuff the Stat Sheet Tonight?
Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction: Can Alperen Sengun Stuff the Stat Sheet Tonight?
The Houston Rockets host the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The Rockets are in the midst of a three game skid after winning five games in a row, with losses to the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Hawks. Tonight, they get to play a severely undermanned Mavericks team. Can the Rockets bounce back?
Mavericks vs. Rockets Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: December 22, 2023
- Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction
The Mavericks have several inactives tonight, including star players Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, as well as Josh Green, Dereck Lively, Dante Exum, Maxi Kleber, and Seth Curry. The Mavericks are basically punting on this game, which has skyrocketed the spread to 8.5 points in the Rockets' favor. With so many players out for Dallas, especially Dereck Lively II, I expect Alperen Sengun to have a good night for the Rockets.
Alperen Sengun is having a breakout year for the Rockets. After becoming the starting center for the Rockets last year, he has jumped to 19.7 points per game from 14.8 last year. Sengun is the leading scorer for the Rockets, above Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green, while he facilitates the offense from the paint. He has a good matchup against the Mavs tonight, who have struggled against opposing centers.
The Mavericks are giving up the 4th most points in the league per game to centers, allowing 25.2 points per game to big men. They are also giving up the 7th most rebounds to centers. Sengun's line tonight is 29.5 points+rebounds, and I love the over. He is averaging 28.6 points+rebounds per game, but this matchup is exceedingly beneficial for Sengun, given the injury news and struggles against centers for Dallas. With no real presence in the paint to slow Sengun down, the big man should easily hit 30 points and rebounds in this game tonight.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction
3 Unit Pick: Alperen Sengun Over 29.5 Points + Rebounds -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.