Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans betting tips and predictions for Wednesday’s clash in the NBA. Losers of 4 of their last 5 games, the Dallas Mavericks hit the road in hopes of improving their record as they take on the New Orleans Pelicans. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Dallas has been hot and cold in the last couple of weeks, they’ve lost 5 of their last 6 with their only win coming at Staples Center against the Clippers in Overtime. That was Luka Doncic’s first game back after injury and they’ve now dropped their next two against the Wizards and Cavaliers. Kristaps Porzingis had a rough night vs the Cavs with just 9 points scored, even a triple double of 25 points, 10 boards and 10 assists from Luka Doncic couldn’t compensate for that. With 4 of their next 5 games being against West teams, the Mavs will have to wake up if they want to retain 4th spot which they occupy in the standings right now. Against the Pelicans they’ve won 7 times in the last 10 meetings and have covered the spread in 4 of the last 5.
All of a sudden the Pelicans have woken up with 3 wins in their last 4 games, even without Zion Williamson who is yet to make his season debut after being cleared by the doctors to play following his foot injury. Jonas Valanciunas stole the show against the Clippers the other night as he drained 7 of 8 threes, Brandon Ingram added 27 points as the Pelicans rolled through LA with a 19-point win. They’ll be seeking revenge tonight as the Mavericks have already beaten them this season 108-92 in Dallas back in early November. A lot has changed since and the Pelicans are a way better team compared to then. When they get Zion back it’ll be interesting to see if they can make a late push for the play-in tournament. They’ve covered in 4 of their last 5 home games and are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games played in December.
With Porzingis being questionable here, Dallas could be without a 20 point per game scorer which is a big blow to their ambitions. Yes, they’ve beaten the Pelicans earlier this season, but that was a completely different scenario. Optimism is back in New Orleans and I think the Pelicans will ride this wave for the next few weeks. I’m backing them to cover here.
New Orleans Pelicans – Dallas Mavericks Predictions & Odds
Pelicans +3.5 Point Spread is available at -110 odds on bet365
Believe it or not, the New Orleans Pelicans currently have the most efficient three-point shooter in the NBA on their roster. And you’ll be surprised to hear that is none other than Jonas Valanciunas. That’s right, the big man is averaging 51.7% from deep which is better even than the likes of Stephen Curry. We’ve seen an increase in scoring from the Pelicans lately, they have two games of 120+ points in their last 4 outings so it could be a sign of things to come tonight. Head-to-head games between Dallas and New Orleans have gone over in 10 of the last 15, including the last 9 of 13 played at the Smoothie King Center. An average of 231.8 points per game have been scored over the last 10 meetings, so I’m confident these two will score enough to push us over the total.
Over 212.5 Total Points is available at -110 odds on bet365
