New Orleans Pelicans (23-15) vs. Dallas Mavericks (23-16)
January 13, 2024 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Dallas Mavericks -2.5; Over/Under: +233.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks collide at the American Airlines Center on Saturday night. Here’s a Pelicans vs Mavericks Prediction.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans have been in fine form as they’ve won six of their last eight games overall, but they will be hoping to bounce back in this one after getting stopped in their tracks by the Nuggets in a 125-113 road defeat last night. Zion Williamson led the team with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists on 13 of 22 shooting, Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points while CJ McCollum chipped in with 12 points and seven assists. As a team, the Pelicans shot 47 percent from the field and 13 of 33 from the 3-point line, but they couldn’t do much to slow the Nuggets early on and fell behind by double digits right away. Things didn’t get much better in the second half as the Pelicans trailed by as many as 22 points before they made a late rally to keep the final scores respectable.
New Orleans Pelicans Team Facts
- The Pelicans have lost each of their 13 previous road games on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Mavericks.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven road games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- Five of the Pelicans’ last six games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total points line.
Dallas Mavericks
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks have been in fine form as they’ve won four of their past five games and they will be eager to stay hot after sneaking past the Knicks in a 128-124 win on Thursday. Kyrie Irving led the team with 44 points and 10 assists on 15 of 26 shooting, Tim Hardaway Jr added 32 points while Josh Green chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Mavericks shot 50 percent from the field and 17 of 41 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in a bit of trouble when they squandered a 21-point lead, but they turned to Irving who made the go-ahead free throws with just 11.1 seconds left on the clock to escape with the narrow win.
Dallas Mavericks Team Facts
- The Mavericks have won seven of their last eight games against the Pelicans at American Airlines Center.
- The Mavericks have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six home games when playing with a rest advantage.
- Each of the Mavericks’ last six Saturday games at American Airlines Center have gone OVER the total points line.
Pelicans vs Mavericks Prediction
The Mavericks are again shorthanded with Luka Doncic and Dante Exum ruled out while Josh Green is listed as questionable, but they still open as the slight favorites in this one after their impressive win over the Knicks on Thursday. The Pelicans have comparatively been the team in better recent form, but they are playing on zero days’ rest after last night’s tough loss to the Nuggets. You can make an argument for either side here, but the Pelicans were in great form before last night’s loss and I think they can pull off the minor upset against this Doncic-less Mavericks squad.
