The 22-46 Pelicans will host the 23-45 Mavericks tonight at 8 PM EST. The Mavericks have listed Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford as Doubtful. Moussa Cisse and Caleb Martin are Questionable. The Pelicans have listed Dejounte Murray as Questionable.
The Pelicans are 8.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 218.5 points.
Pelicans vs. Mavericks prediction, preview
New Orleans is basically living in two worlds this season, and that disparity is illustrated by the quality of the players on their roster and their actual record. In their last 10 games, they’ve had a positive net rating with 118.5 OFFRTG and 115.2 DEFRTG. They’ve been even better in the last five games, with 124 OFFRTG and 116.5 DEFRTG. When this team is firing on all cylinders, they can consistently output this kind of production. They win when they can get downhill, draw contact, and keep defenses rotating. Zion Williamson can put tremendous pressure on the rim, which frees up their shooters for open looks. And these looks have been money, with this team connecting on 38.4% from three in their last five games. However, one of New Orleans’ issues is late game execution. Their loss to the Rockets was a perfect example of that, somehow losing the game despite being up four with under 30 seconds. The Pelicans turned it over twice and the game was gone, despite Dejounte Murray going for a massive 35 points, seven rebounds, four assists on 78% shooting from the field. If Murray is out tonight, the Pelicans will lose a lot of their backcourt production.
Dallas has completely retooled around Cooper Flagg and has its sights set on the future. The last five games have been rough defensively, with this team posting a 123.2 DEFRTG and 111.8 OFFRTG. Despite the Mavs posting the 16th highest DEFRTG on the season, they’ve been abysmal over the last 15 with a 120.5 DEFRTG. They did, however, recently upset the Cleveland Cavaliers on the back of a huge Cooper Flagg double double with 27 points and 10 assists. It also helps that the Mavs shot 15/30 from three. Flagg’s going to be the offensive hub on this team next season even with Kyrie Irving back in the mix, and his rookie debut of 20.2 PPG has been extremely promising. Flagg is also adding 6.6 RPG and 4.4 APG while shooting 47.1% from the field.
Pelicans vs. Mavericks pick, best bet
Best Bet: DAL Mavericks +8.5 (-105)
The Pelicans may be without Dejounte Murray in this one, and the Mavericks even without Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford will put up a fight with Cooper Flagg in the mix. With nothing else to play for this season, the Mavs will prioritize giving Flagg as many on-ball reps as possible for his development. He’s coming off consecutive 25 point games and looks to finish the season strong.
