Mavericks vs Pelicans Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Wednesday, March 8th

Check out our free Mavericks vs Pelicans pick and preview for this NBA game in New Orleans. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Mavericks vs Pelicans NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans
Where: New Orleans at Smoothie King Center
Date: Wednesday, March 8th
Betting Odds NO +2, DAL -132 | NO +110 O/U nan

The Mavericks come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 34-32. So far, the team has gone 24-40-2 against the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 2-1. Dallas is 1-2 vs the spread in these matchups.

Dallas is going for another win in today’s game, as they previously took down the Jazz. Going into the game, they were 10 point favorites against the spread. Their 120-116 victory was not enough to cover. In the game, the two teams entered halftime all tied up at 59. In the win, Kyrie Irving led the team in scoring with 33 points on a field goal percentage of 55.6%.

The Pelicans come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 31-34. So far, the team has gone 29-36-0 against the spread. Against the Mavericks, the Pelicans are looking to break out of a 2 game losing streak. These defeats have come on an average scoring differential of -12.0 points per contest.

New Orleans is trying to bounce back from a 123-108 loss to the Kings. Going into this game, the team was 4 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. New Orleans struggled in the 2nd half of this matchup, as the teams were all tied at 59 heading into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Brandon Ingram, as he contributed 24 points while hitting 56.2% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Pelicans picked up the win 113-111 win over the Mavericks. Heading into the game, New Orleans was the 5.5 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far this season, the Mavericks have a record of 2-1 vs the Pelicans. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Mavericks averaged 115.75 points per game vs New Orleans, which was an increase over their season-long average. While the Mavericks saw a boost in scoring, the Pelicans averaged 106.0 points per contest in head-to-head meeting vs Dallas. This figure was similar to season-long average. Through the last 5 matchups between the teams, Dallas has an ATS mark of 3-2. But, looking at the scoring margin in these games, an average of just 1 points per game separates the teams. The over-under record in these same games is 3-2, with the teams combining for an average of 225 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 66 games, Dallas is averaging 114.1 points per game (16th). When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Mavericks are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 96.8 per contest. A key aspect of the team’s offensive struggles is the fact that they not only play at a slow pace, but they struggle to score inside. Heading into today’s game, Dallas is just 30th in shots made inside the arc.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Mavericks are giving up an average of 104.72 points per game, good for 2nd in the NBA.

Point-Guard Luka Doncic currently leads the Mavericks at 33.3 points per game. For the season, he is 2nd in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 26.6% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Doncic is averaging 8.7 boards and 8.0 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 5th ranked defense at defending point-guards. Kyrie Irving enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 50 games, he is averaging 27.2 and is 30th in the league in player efficiency rating.

The Pelicans come into today’s game as the 17th ranked scoring offense at 114.1 points per game. So far, the Pelicans are averaging 99.6 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Although the team tends to play at a more deliberate pace, they are currently one of the more efficient shooting teams, connecting on field goal attempts at a rate of 47.8%.

Defensively, New Orleans has had its problems giving up an average of 110.28 points per game (13th).

Point-Guard CJ McCollum currently leads the Pelicans at 21.0 points per game. For the season, he is 50th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 20.6% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, McCollum is averaging 4.3 boards and 5.8 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 10th ranked defense at defending point-guards. Jonas Valanciunas enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 62 games, he is averaging 14.3 and is 71st in the league in player efficiency rating.