Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans odds, picks and predictions

Ethan Matthew | Staff Writer

The Dallas Mavericks (7-2) take on the New Orleans Pelicans (4-5) Sunday at the Smoothie King Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Mavericks vs. Pelicans and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

Season series: First meeting; split last season 2-2

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 144-126 in their 2nd in-season tournament game on Friday. Mavs G Luka Doncic scored 44 points on 17-of-21 shooting, and Dallas never trailed in the 2nd half.

The New Orleans Pelicans, on the other hand, played a close game with the Houston Rockets, but despite a 9-point lead in the 4th quarter and a 5-point lead with less than 2 minutes left, they lost 104-101. Houston G Fred VanVleet came through with 2 clutch 3s as both teams got their 1st taste of the in-season tournament.

Mavericks at Pelicans odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Mavericks -140 (bet $140 to win $100) | Pelicans +115 (bet $100 to win $115)
Against the spread (ATS): Mavericks -2.5 (-110) | Pelicans +2.5 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 233.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Mavericks at Pelicans key injuries

Mavericks

F Maxi Kleber (toe) out

Pelicans

G Jose Alvarado (ankle) out
G Herbert Jones (fibula) questionable
F Naji Marshall (knee) questionable
G CJ McCollum (lung) out
F Trey Murphy III (knee) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Mavericks at Pelicans picks and predictions

Prediction

Pelicans 121, Mavericks 114

Moneyline

It's early in the season, but Dallas is 2nd in the loaded Western Conference. It wins thanks to its 3-point shooting, but New Orleans appears to be the best team to stop it.

While the Mavericks are No. 1 in 3-point percentage (40.3%), the Pelicans have the best defense against the 3 (31.3%).

LEAN PELICANS +115.

Against the spread

Home underdogs are 24-18 ATS this season, and since I like them to win straight up, picking them ATS seems like the obvious choice.

BET PELICANS +2.5 (-110).

Over/Under

Yes, the Pelicans struggle on offense (28th in points per game), but the Mavericks have the 7th-worst defense when it comes to overall scoring.

New Orleans' highest offensive ranking comes in the paint (19th-best), which is where Dallas has problems covering (2nd-highest points in the paint allowed).

LEAN OVER 233.5 (-115).

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Ethan Matthew on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

Access more NBA coverage:

Facebook Twitter Email