Rockets at Mavs Halloween Preview: Can Dallas 'Trick' Houston? Odds & How To Watch

As the Houston Rockets are set to visit the Dallas Mavs in an NBA Cup in-season tournament group play matchup on Friday, the home team is hoping to spring a Halloween weekend surprise on the 5-0 Rockets ...

Featuring some tough talk from the Dallas locker room.

The undefeated Rockets are in first place in the Western Conference with one of their early-season wins coming over the Mavs.

But the Mavericks have surged to a 3-2 record - good for seventh in the Western Conference - thanks to a pair of back-to-back stunners.

First the Mavs visited the Miami Heat and pulled off an upset win to start the week.On Wednesday, they did it again with a home victory over the favored OKC Thunder.

Can the Mavs "spook'' the Rockets on Friday in this 7 p.m. CT tipoff?

They talk as if they believe in themselves.

Young star Cooper Flagg recently spoke about "throwing the first punch'' in games. And rookie head coach Dusty May said of newcomer Walter Clayton, "He's cold-blooded.''

The Mavs will need all of that and more - tricks and treats and you name it - against a Rockets team led by Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün and Fred VanVleet.

The teams will meet for the second time this season. In the last meeting on Oct. 22 the Rockets won 128-110 led by 30 points from Jabari Smith Jr., while Cooper Flagg scored 32 points for the Mavericks.

WHO: Rockets at Mavs

WHEN: Friday, October 30

WHERE: AAC in Dallas

ODDS: The Rockets are favored by 4.5 points.

MEDIA: WFAA, KFAA-29, MavsTV+, 105.3 The Fan.