The Anthony Davis era officially begins in Dallas on Saturday as the Mavericks host the Rockets. 

The Rockets are in the midst of a five game losing streak, and will look to stop the skid against a Mavericks team in transition as it welcomes Davis to the lineup as the centerpiece of the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade last week. 

Davis is playing his first game after missing the last few weeks with an abdominal injury, how will he adjust to his new role in Dallas? 

Here’s everything you need to bet on this one. 

Spread

Moneyline

Total: 228 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Rockets Injury Report

Mavericks Injury Report

Houston Rockets

Amen Thompson OVER 5.5 Assists (-106)

With Fred VanVleet out for the last three games, Amen Thompson has taken on even more usage, especially as a facilitator. The budding star has upped his potential assists from less than six to nearly 13 per game in the three games with FVV on the sidelines. 

Now, this is a small sample size, but it shows that the ball is in Thompson’s hands far more now as the primary ball handler. 

In the aforementioned three games, Thompson has tallied five, eight and 11 assists. Despite all three being losses, I expect his role to remain steady as he has emerged as one of the bright young stars of this Rockets team.

Dallas Mavericks

P.J. Washington UNDER 2.5 Assists (-132)

Washington is likely going to slide down to small forward with Davis entering the lineup. This may lead to a learning curve for the forward, who doesn’t have a ton of on-ball prowess and has been best used as a floor spacing four that has dominated from the corner as a three-point shooter since arriving in Dallas last season. 

I don’t expect Washington’s usage to change much as the Mavericks integrate Davis into the offense as the team uses him as more of a short-roll passer while Washington remains out along the perimeter. 

This number is right on the season average for Washington, but he’ll be up against the elite Rockets defense that is allowing the fewest assists per game on the season. 

With that in mind, and a potentially clunky start as the new pieces on the roster get acclimated to one another, I’ll go under. 

The Rockets losing streak has stunted some of the mid-season momentum that the team has, but this is still among the best defenses in the league. Further, the losing streak is also a product of some poor late game variance. The team squandered a late lead against the Knicks and Nets before running out of gas against the Timberwolves in the fourth quarter. 

I like the team to continue to remain competitive as the Mavericks are going to be looking for answers on its own side with the debut of Davis. The Rockets check in fourth in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions and should be able to make things difficult for a Mavericks team that has far more questions on its side. 

Meanwhile, this is a pretty stark drop-off for the Rockets, who closed as a one-point underdog in Minnesota on Thursday night and only a four point underdog at Memphis a little more than a week ago. I’m going to buy the dip on Houston and take them as small underdogs against a Dallas team that is going to show a new-look roster for the first time. It’s far from a certainty that this team looks the part so quickly. 

PICK: Rockets +3.5 (available at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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