Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will be looking to pull off the big road upset over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks when the two Western Conference rivals square off in their mid-week matchup on Wednesday night. With two of the league’s brightest young stars looking to lead their respective teams to victory, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NBA Odds for the Pelicans vs Mavericks.
Pelicans vs Mavericks 2020 NBA Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Wednesday, march 4, 2020 at 9:30 PM ET
- Where: American Airlines Center
- TV: ESPN, FSN, Sportsnet
- NBA Odds: Dallas -6.5 / Total: 238.5
Get your 🍿 ready! 🚨LATE TIPOFF TOMORROW 🚨 It’s Luka vs. Zion at 8:30PM tomorrow at @aacenter! Can’t join us? Watch it live on @foxsportsSW! Get your tickets NOW
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 3, 2020
Why Bet On New Orleans
The Pelicans have dropped two straight and come into this affair off a high-scoring 139-134 home loss against Minnesota on Tuesday night. Jrue Holiday scored a team-high 27 points while Lonzo Ball had 26 points on 7 of 1 shooting from beyond the arc. Zion Williamson recorded 25 points and Brandon Ingram added 24 points. Still, it wasn’t enough as eight Timberwolves scored in double digits.
“We’re in a situation where we are trying to win basketball games to stay relevant,” New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said afterward. “If you want to be a team that is relevant and relevant in the playoffs if we’re fortunate to get there, you have to be able to guard. You can’t just run up and down and try to outscore everyone and that’s what we tried to do.”
New Orleans fell to four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies who currently occupy the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoff chase.
“Hopefully this is a game that we understand and we learn from because we can’t afford not to be locked in and not to be into the ball,” Gentry said. “We didn’t do a very good job defensively.”
Ingram averages a team-high 24.6 points per game while Williamson is averaging 24.2 points per contest through 16 NBA games. Holiday averages 19.2 points per contest. New Orleans averages 116.1 points per game to rank a surprising fourth in scoring while allowing 117.2 points per game defensively (27th). The Pelicans have gone 14-16 on the road this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 116.11
- Field Goal %: 46.32
- Three Point %: 37.28
- Free Throw %: 73.14
- Total Rebounds: 46.75
Defense
- Total Score: 117.23
- Field Goal %: 46.72
- Three Point %: 35.65
- Free Throw %: 78.54
- Total Rebounds: 45.1
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Trends
- New Orleans are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
- New Orleans are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against Dallas.
- New Orleans are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road.
- New Orleans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games this season.
- The total is 13-5 in New Orleans’ last 18 games against Western Conference teams.
Why Bet On Dallas
Dallas has dropped two of their last three including a crushing 109-107 road loss to Chicago on Monday to finish off their four-game road trip at 2-2. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a team-high 26 points while young all-star forward Luka Doncic returned from a one-game absence to put up 23 points and nine assists, although he struggled shooting the ball by going just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.
“We just got away from what was working and what we were doing, and eventually they woke up,” veteran guard Courtney Lee told reporters. “And then once a team like that gets confidence, they can compete with anybody.”
Power forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has averaged 27.3 points per game over his last 11, is expected back on Wednesday night after sitting out Monday.
Doncic is averaging a team-high 28.5 points per game while Porzingis is putting up 19.2 points per contest and Hardaway Jr., 15.5 points per night. Dallas averages 116.4 points per game to rank third in scoring while allowing 110.4 points per game defensively (15th). The Mavericks have gone a modest 16-14 at home this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 116.4
- Field Goal %: 46.3
- Three Point %: 36.82
- Free Throw %: 77.62
- Total Rebounds: 47.06
Defense
- Total Score: 110.39
- Field Goal %: 45.22
- Three Point %: 34.3
- Free Throw %: 76.06
- Total Rebounds: 45.27
Dallas Mavericks Betting Trends
- Dallas are 15-5 SU in their last 20 games when playing at home against New Orleans.
- Dallas are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Western Conference conference.
- Dallas are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games against an opponent in the Southwest Division division.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas’ last 6 games at home.
Pelicans vs Mavericks Expert Analysis and Prediction
I know Dallas has won all three regular season meetings against New Orleans, including an emphatic 130-84 home win on Dec. 7, but that was before Zion Williamson took the court and with their rookie star on the floor, the Pelicans have been surprisingly competitive.
Yes, Dallas will have Kristaps Porzingis back on the floor for this one, but I like New Orleans’ deeper roster, not to mention the fact that Lonzo ball can suddenly shoot the ball (I think). I know New Orleans is just 1-4 ATS over their last five, but the Pelicans have also won four of their last five on the road while beating the likes of the Pacers and completely desperate Blazers along the way. I like the Pelicans to cover the chalk with room to spare while pushing a Dallas Mavericks team that has been mediocre at home this season, for the outright win.
Pick: Dallas 117 New Orleans 115
