The Dallas Mavericks are adjusting to life without Luka Doncic, but one of their newest additions, Max Christie, is proving he’s more than just a throw-in piece. As they prepare to host the Miami Heat on Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break, the Mavericks are aiming to keep their momentum going. When Dallas sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by Anthony Davis, most fans didn’t pay much attention to Christie’s inclusion. But five games in, the third-year guard is turning heads, averaging 17 points on 50.9% shooting since arriving in Dallas. Injury-riddled Mavericks step up Coach Jason Kidd is putting trust in the young guard, and Christie is embracing the opportunity.

The Houston Rockets have been experimenting with their lineup, and it paid off in a 119-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. But as they prepare to face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, they’ll be missing key pieces yet again. Tari Eason had one of his best performances of the season against the Suns, putting up 25 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Alongside him, Jalen Green (22 points), Dillon Brooks (18), Amen Thompson (18 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds), and Alperen Sengun (17 points, 13 rebounds) all contributed to a well-balanced attack. However, Eason and center Steven Adams will not be available against the Warriors due to injury management restrictions that prevent them from playing

At 8:00 ET, the Thunder (-783) will host the Heat (+538) in a non-conference matchup. Oklahoma City is favored by 13.5 points and has won six straight games. Miami, on the other hand, has lost two in a row and is 7th in the Eastern Conference. This game will be played at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and can be seen on FDSO. The over/under line for this game is 219. The Heat fell to 25-26 on the season after a 103-85 loss to the Celtics on Monday. Miami, who were +8.5 point underdogs, failed to cover the spread at home. The game’s total of 188 points was well below the 211.5-point line. After leading 24-18 at the end of

Time is running out for Rutgers and Iowa to turn things around as the Big Ten season winds down. The two struggling programs meet Wednesday night in Piscataway, N.J., with both needing a spark to stay in postseason contention. The Hawkeyes (13-10, 4-8 Big Ten) squandered a late lead in Saturday’s 74-63 home loss to then-No. 21 Wisconsin, going scoreless for the final 4:29 as the Badgers closed the game on a 16-4 run. Iowa continues to adjust without leading scorer Owen Freeman, who is out for the season following finger surgery. That puts more pressure on Payton Sandfort (15.9 points, 5.8 rebounds per game) and Josh Dix (13.9 ppg), but Sandfort struggled against Wisconsin, shooting just 2-of-11 from the