Pelicans vs Mavericks Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, February 2nd

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

Pelicans vs Mavericks NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks
Where: Dallas at American Airlines Center
Date: Thursday, February 2nd
Betting Odds DAL -4.5, NO +164 | DAL -200 O/U 225.5

The Pelicans come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 26-26. So far, the team has gone 24-28-0 against the spread. The Pelicans come into the game in the middle of a 9 game losing streak, losing these matchups by an average of -11.89 points per contest.

New Orleans is trying to bounce back from a 122-113 loss to the Nuggets. Going into this game, the team was 7 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. New Orleans let an opportunity for a win slip away as they held a lead going into the 2nd half of action. Leading the team in scoring was CJ McCollum, as he contributed 21 points while hitting 36.8% of his shots.

The Mavericks come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 27-25. So far, the team has gone 17-33-2 against the spread. Against the spread, Dallas has a mark of 1-2. Straight up, their record is 2-1 in these games.

Dallas is going for another win in today’s game, as they previously took down the Pistons. Going into the game, they were 10 point favorites against the spread. Their 111-105 victory was not enough to cover. Even though Dallas did not immediately put a dent in their halftime deficit as they trailed by 1 points heading into 4th, they still managed to come out on top. Leading the team in scoring was Luka Doncic, as he contributed 53 points while hitting 70.8% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I Similar to their season-long average, the Pelicans averaged 106.0 points per game vs the Mavericks. On the other side, Dallas saw an improvement in their scoring numbers when playing the Pelicans, as they averaged 115.75 points per game in these matchups. The ATS record across the previous 5 head-to-head meetings is 3-2 in favor of the Mavericks. In these matchups, Dallas has averaged 118 points per game, while allowing 112. A combined average of 230 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

The Pelicans come into today’s game as one of the better scoring teams in the NBA at 115.0 points per game (12th). Coming into today’s game, the Pelicans will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.0 made 3’s per game. If the New Orleans offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 14.5 turnovers per game.

Currently, the Pelicans defense is ranked 13th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 110.28 points per game vs the unit.

A key injury to note in this game is the absence of the Pelicans 2nd leading scorer, Zion Williamson. In his 29 games, Williamson is averaging 26.0 points per game while dishing out 4.6 assists and grabbing 7.0 rebounds. In his absence, the team will be looking for even more production out of CJ McCollum, who leads the team and is 43rd in the NBA at 21.3 points per contest. For the season, he has connected on 42.9% of his field goal attempts while taking 20.9% of the team’s shots from the floor.

The Mavericks come into today’s game as the 24th ranked scoring offense at 112.3 points per game. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Mavericks are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 96.3 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.

Defensively, the Mavericks are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 104.72 points per contest (2nd).

Point-Guard Luka Doncic currently leads the Mavericks at 33.4 points per game. For the season, he is 4th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 27.0% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Doncic is averaging 8.9 boards and 8.3 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 7th ranked defense at defending point-guards. Spencer Dinwiddie enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 51 games, he is averaging 17.5 and is 135th in the league in player efficiency rating.