-
Andrew Rogers
Pelicans vs. Mavericks Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
With each of their final three regular-season opponents boasting sub-.500 records, the Dallas Mavericks have no excuses as they look to secure one of the top six seeds in the Western Conference standings. That quest resumes Wednesday night against a visiting New Orleans Pelicans team that will need a minor miracle to secure the final West play-in berth, trailing 10th-place San Antonio by 2 ½ games with just three contests left to play.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
A line that opened with the Mavericks as double-digit favourites has since settled in at Dallas -8.5. The Mavs are an impressive 4-1 against the spread in their previous five games, though they’re coming off a 133-104 setback to the Memphis Grizzlies that halted a four-game winning streak and might leave some doubt in the minds of bettors. There’s also the fact that the Pelicans have been red-hot ATS of late, coming in with an 8-1 mark over their past nine games.
The total is set at 224, with the Over and Under boasting identical -110 odds. These teams are on the opposite end of the spectrum with regard to season-long trends, with the Pelicans at 39-29-1 O/U for the year and the Mavericks at 31-38. That said, the Mavericks have converted the Over in six of their past nine games overall, and these teams are an eye-popping 9-4 to the Over in their previous 13 head-to-head encounters.
New Orleans Pelicans
Expect the Pelicans to pull out all the stops – but only figuratively – in their final push to an unlikely postseason berth. New Orleans ranks 25th in the NBA in points allowed per game (115.1), negating its eighth-ranked offence (114.8) and leaving it on the cusp of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Pelicans are a sizzling 16-6 SU when they score more than 120 points this season, and just 15-32 when they don’t.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks control their fate when it comes to avoiding the play-in round, as they enter Wednesday a game up on the seventh-placed Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas will wrap up its regular-season docket with games against the Pelicans, Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves, who are a combined 47 games below .500 as of Wednesday. Winning out might be enough to push Dallas past Portland and into fifth place in the Conference.
NO
DAL