NEW ORLEANS PELICANS AT DALLAS MAVERICKS
QUICK HITTER
The Zion show rolls into Dallas where Luke Doncic and the Mavericks are looking to bounce back from a surprising 109-107 road loss to the Bulls on Monday. The Mavs are also dealing with a variety of injuries. Their second-leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis did not play against Chicago due to a sore left knee and Seth Curry is questionable to suit up against the Pelicans with a back injury. New Orleans comes in licking its wounds after a 139-134 home loss to the struggling Timberwolves. Expect some tired legs for the rookie and keep an eye on how long he stays on the floor. The Mavericks are 9-1 ATS in the first quarter over their last 10 games.
Pick: Mavericks First Quarter Spread
FIRST HALF
The Pelicans struggled in the first half of Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota allowing 72 points and 44 in the second quarter. Dallas had a lot of early success in their last meeting with New Orleans dropping 64 in the first half en route to a 130-84 home win back in December. Luke Doncic had 26 points, six rebounds and nine assists in just 26 minutes and is coming off a 23-point nine-assist performance in the loss to Chicago. Expect the Slovenian star to continue to sizzle against the boys from the bayou. The Mavericks are 8-2 ATS in the first half over their last 10 games.
Pick: Mavericks First Half Spread
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TEAM/PLAYER PROP
Four starters scored at least 24 points for New Orleans against Minnesota with Jrue Holiday leading a balanced attack. Holiday tallied a triple-double with 27 points,10 rebounds and 12 assists. Lonzo Ball also had a big night with 26 points and eight assists. Ball has dropped at least eight dimes in five straight games and played the fewest minutes of any Pelicans starter on Tuesday. Expect Ball to get some extended run in the second game of a back-to-back and exceed his reasonably priced assist prop.
Pick: Lonzo Ball Over 7.5 Assists (-132)
TOTAL BET
Dallas continues to play at an elite level on the offense and are ranked third in the NBA in scoring at 116.4 points per game. The Mavericks have the second-highest over percentage this season at 61.3% which has forced the oddsmakers to inflate the totals. That is likely a big reason why the Under is 3-1 over the last 4 games for Dallas. Doncic is still nursing his injured thumb and went just 1-for-8 from the 3-point line in the loss to Chicago. Expect New Orleans to slow the tempo a bit with some tired legs. The Under is 8-6 when the Pelicans are at a rest disadvantage this season.
Pick: Under
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SPREAD BET
The Mavericks are 3-0 SU against the Pelicans this season and have looked dominant in those matchups, outscoring New Orleans by an average of 20.8 points ATS. While Zion is drawing headlines for his explosive play, New Orleans is struggling as a team and has dropped four straight games against the number. Williamson is averaging 24.2 points through 16 career games, but the Pelicans are just 8-8 SU with the rookie in the lineup. Dallas expects Kristaps Porzingis to play after sitting against the Bulls with an injured knee. Porzingis is averaging 27.3 points over his last 11 games. With KP back in the mix, expect a rested Mavs team to get back on track.
Pick: Mavericks -6
