Mavericks vs Pelicans Picks and Predictions: New Orleans Can't Deal With Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks went all-in at the trade deadline to pair Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for a deep postseason run. That dynamic duo will be front-and-center again tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans in a clash of playoff hopefuls.

Irving scored 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to take down the Utah Jazz on Monday. As long as he’s playing like this alongside Doncic, the Mavericks have no excuses if they fall into the play-in tournament.

A Top 6 spot is looking like a tougher ask for the Pelicans, who ended February with four straight losses. They are fresh off a 123-108 loss to the Sacramento Kings last time out, and enter tonight in 10th place, barely hanging onto a play-in spot.

Check out our NBA picks and predictions for the lowdown on Mavericks vs Pelicans on Wednesday, March 8.

Mavericks vs Pelicans best odds

Mavericks vs Pelicans picks and predictions

Whatever you think of the Mavericks’ defensive ceiling after swapping perimeter defense for top-tier bucket-getting, this new-look Dallas offense is heading towards uncharted territory. Good luck holding them under 120 points.

Luka Doncic now has a co-star in Kyrie Irving who can punish teams that overhelp on him while keeping the Mavericks afloat when the Slovenian is on the bench. Based on the small sample size so far, the arrival of Irving is unlikely to take away from Doncic’s numbers — and, in some ways, may actually boost them higher. 

I feel more “Luka Magic” in the air tonight, with Doncic continuing his red-hot scoring and filling up the box score with assists and rebounds against a New Orleans team that is going nowhere fast until Zion Williamson returns. He’s averaging 36 points over his last four games.

Doncic has also recorded a double-double in two of his last three games. Against the Jazz, it was 10 boards to go with 29 points, and against the 76ers last week, it was 12 dimes and a monster 42-point night. I like the wiggle room of just needing one of those categories here alongside the points.

Even more compelling, Doncic racked up a triple-double when these teams met in January, and had a 37-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Pelicans in October.

With New Orleans reeling and likely to downsize at times to counter the Mavericks’ backcourt wizardry, the stage is set for Doncic to run riot here.

My best bet: Doncic double-double (+100 at DraftKings)

Mavericks vs Pelicans spread analysis

Even coming off a hard-fought win against the Jazz last night, the Mavericks are slight favorites to see off a Pelicans team that’s lost seven of their last 10 games while dealing with a slew of injuries.

New Orleans’ depth has been hit hard with key starters and rotation cogs unavailable, and the Pelicans are 1-6 ATS in their last seven contests. A rough 123-108 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, despite 24 points from Brandon Ingram, was another setback for the hosts’ hopes of climbing above the play-in line.

The Mavericks have won three of the last four meetings, including two wins already in 2023, and they covered the spread in both. For all the attention on the numbers that Doncic and Irving are putting up, Dallas is just 6-5 since the trade. But tonight seems like a golden opportunity to pad that record.

Mavericks vs Pelicans Over/Under analysis

The Doncic-Irving duo combined for 62 points against the Jazz, and they’re still only scratching the surface on the ways they can torment defenses. Their scoring and playmaking alone could tip this game towards the Over, which is 4-1 in the Mavericks’ last five games, and 12-2 in their last 14 games playing on the second night of a back-to-back set.

With Williamson still sidelined, the Pelicans are missing some of their offensive punch — and that’s increasingly dragged New Orleans towards the Under lately. It’s hit in the hosts’ last four games, and in five of their last six outings on one day’s rest.

But the biggest question surrounding the Mavericks ever since the Irving trade is whether there’s enough perimeter defense in their offense-first lineups. The Pelicans are well equipped to exploit the void left by Dorian Finney-Smith, with Ingram and C.J. McCollum poised for big nights.

Mavericks vs Pelicans betting trend to know

Dallas has had the recent edge in this matchup, going 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings, and 5-2 ATS in the last seven showdowns in New Orleans. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Pelicans.

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