Mavericks vs Rockets Best Pick, Prediction and Odds

The Dallas Mavericks visit the Houston Rockets on Wednesday 21 October at Toyota Center (Houston), with tip-off at 8:30 PM ET. The Rockets are 8.5-point favorites on the early line.

This is the early page for the game: what is already known. Our full prediction, with the call and the numbers behind it, goes up on this page before tip-off.

Last season

The Mavericks went 26-56 in 2025-26: 16-25 at home and 10-30 on the road, with one game at a neutral site. They scored 114.1 points a game and allowed 119.6. They did not play a playoff series.

The Rockets went 52-30 in 2025-26: 30-11 at home and 22-19 on the road. They scored 115.2 points a game and allowed 110.0. In the playoffs they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.

Last season’s meetings

The teams met four times in the 2025-26 regular season and split the games.

• 3 November: Rockets 110, Mavericks 102, with the Rockets at home
• 6 December: Mavericks 122, Rockets 109, with the Mavericks at home
• 3 January: Mavericks 110, Rockets 104, with the Mavericks at home
• 31 January: Rockets 111, Mavericks 107, with the Rockets at home

The early line

At DraftKings, read 12 October 2026, the Rockets are -8.5. The total is 226.5. The moneylines are Rockets -310 and Mavericks +250, which price the Rockets to win 72.6% of the time with the bookmaker’s margin removed.

Lines move before tip-off. The full prediction reads them again on the day it goes up.

What this page does not say

Every result above is from last season. Rosters change over a summer, and this page names no player and says nothing about who is available. Every game is on our NBA predictions page.

Mavericks at Rockets, Wednesday 21 October, 8:30 PM ET at Toyota Center (Houston). Results: ESPN, 2025-26 regular season and playoffs, read 12 October 2026. Line: DraftKings via ESPN, read 2026-10-12 05:29 UTC.