NBA Odds: Mavericks (even)
The New Orleans Pelicans will be at the American Airlines Center to play a division foe in the Dallas Mavericks. The game starts at 8:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 2 and will air on FSN-NO and FSN-SW.
The Mavericks were beaten by the Nets 104-94 on Saturday. Al-Farouq Aminu was one of the best players for the Mavericks, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, and four steals. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-102 win over the Heat on Friday. Alexis Ajinca shot 9-for-10 and led in scoring with 24 points.
The high-powered Mavericks offense (third in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 107.5) will square off against the poor Pelicans defense (26th in the league with a defensive efficiency of 105.2), a matchup that should favor the Mavericks. The Pelicans could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank second in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 28.1%. The Mavericks, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the league (30th) on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 71.9%.
The Mavericks have won two out of three against the Pelicans this season, but dropped their most recent game, a close 109-106 loss. Anthony Davis played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Mavericks enter the game with records of 39-22 Straight Up (SU) and 28-30-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they have a 1-3 ATS record against their division at home, they’ve managed a SU record of 3-1. The Mavericks are an impressive shooting team with a .462 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Dallas, which ranks fourth at 1.8. If its opponents turn the ball over, Dallas has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.6 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category.
Across the court, New Orleans has a SU record of 31-27 and an ATS record of 34-24. In divisional games, New Orleans has gone 6-4 SU and 8-2 ATS.
Following the Pelicans’ latest win over Dallas, New Orleans is still behind in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, 1-9 SU. Additionally, the Mavericks lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Dallas held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last 10, while New Orleans wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – DAL, ATS Winner – DAL
Notes
New Orleans has allowed an average of 99.4 points per game this season. Dallas averages 105.3 points per game, placing the team fourth in scoring.
On average, New Orleans allows 99.8 points per away game. Dallas averages 106.2 points per home game, ranked fourth in scoring.
The New Orleans Pelicans won their last game by a two-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the Dallas Mavericks are 3-4. New Orleans is 7-2 in close games this season.
New Orleans has a winning 20-11 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Dallas is 8-12 when it scores under 100.
When the New Orleans Pelicans allow at least 100 points they are 11-16, while the Dallas Mavericks are 31-10 when they reach the century mark.
The Mavericks have a defensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 15th), while the Pelicans rank seventh for their offensive rating of 105.6.
The Dallas Mavericks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with a FG% of 46.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the New Orleans Pelicans have a poor 10-18 record.
On average, Dallas attempts 26.8 three pointers and New Orleans attempts 19.2 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Mavericks have a solid 28-15 record while the Pelicans have a losing 3-5 record.
The Dallas Mavericks are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.84 (ranked fourth). Ranking eighth, the New Orleans Pelicans have an A/TO of 1.74.
The Dallas Mavericks rebound 42.4 times per game and are ranked 20th. Ranked 12th, the New Orleans Pelicans rebound 43.8 times per game.
Dallas is ranked 22nd in defensive rebounds, while New Orleans ranks seventh in offensive rebounds.
Dallas is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.8% (ranked fourth). New Orleans is an even 6-6 SU when it has a TOV% of 15.8% or greater.
