New Orleans Pelicans vs Dallas Mavericks Odds and Picks

• The Mavericks continue their seven-game home set on Friday against the Pelicans
• Dallas has won three straight, while NOLA is coming off a loss against the Chicago Bulls
• Get our odds, preview, and best bet for this contest below

The Dallas Mavericks will be looking to continue their hot streak against a Western Conference rival in the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, February 12th, tip-off 7:30pm ET.

Luka Doncic and the Mavs are coming off a thrilling victory over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Pels were outdueled by Zach LaVine and Coby White, who combined for 76 points for the Bulls on Wednesday night. Dallas absolutely dominated NOLA last season, winning all four meetings between the two teams.

Pelicans vs Mavericks Odds

Odds taken Feb 11 at Fanduel

Pelicans Inching Closer To .500

NOLA was definitely considered a team that could make a run at the eighth seed in a heavily competitive Western Conference this season. But, this hasn’t been the case so far. The Pels are currently 11-13 after a loss to the Bulls on Wednesday night.

Chicago destroyed Stan Van Gundy’s team from downtown, draining 25 three’s en route to a 13-point victory. There were some positives to take away from this contest though, with Zion Williamson dropping 29 while Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram both added 21 points.

The trade rumors continue to swirl around Ball’s future in New Orleans, with many believing he’ll be moved before the deadline. Nevertheless, the Pelicans have been playing better basketball lately. They’re 6-4 in their last 10 games, securing impressive wins against the Rockets, Suns, Grizzlies, and the Pacers.

NOLA’s offensive rating throughout that span is fifth-best in the NBA, although their defense has continued to struggle at times. On the whole, there has been little contrast between their ability to get stops and score. The Pels are putting up 112.5 points per contest, while also allowing the same number.

.@B_Ingram13 and @Zionwilliamson chipping away 📈#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/4z3bnT5yfc

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 11, 2021

Zion and co. will have a tall task ahead on Friday though. The Mavs are getting hot after a difficult start to the season and will be looking to collect their fourth straight win and fifth consecutive against NOLA.

Dallas Finding Themselves

One of the trending topics across the league early on was how bad the Dallas Mavericks have looked. Even with the tremendous play of Luka Doncic, although he’s been awful from downtown, there was a growing concern the Mavs were in line for a rough year.

There’s nothing saying that Rick Carlisle’s team is going to completely turn things around, but Dallas is heading in the right direction lately. Three wins in a row including a gritty comeback against Atlanta on Wednesday has injected some much-needed confidence into this squad.

Down 13 points at one point of the third quarter, Tim Hardaway Jr. sunk a big three at the beginning of the final period to cut the deficit to just six points. He went on to drop 13 of his 16 points in the fourth as the Mavs collected a 118-117 victory.

Doncic led the way with 28 and 10 assists, but it was truly an all-around effort from the entire rotation. Six players were in double digits on the scoresheet, while shooting 40% from three-point range as a team.

🎥: Mavs dished out 2️⃣5️⃣ assists in last night's 118-117 win over the Hawks!

This season, @Kroger will be donating to the Mavs Foundation for every assist at home by the Mavs. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/i0gBpGg0aV

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 11, 2021

Despite a string of solid performances, Dallas still needs to improve immensely on the defensive end. They’re allowing 126.8 points per game through their last five appearances, even though four of those games have been victories.

If Carlisle’s squad wants to seriously make some noise this year and get back above .500, they must be more fundamentally sound on both ends of the court. It’s that simple.

Best Bet

The storyline on Friday to keep an eye on will be Zion vs. Luka. Two of the brightest young superstars in the league will face off, with Doncic being on the winning end of the stick in recent meetings.

Both teams have completely healthy rosters heading into this matchup. Dallas is a poor 10-16 ATS, while NOLA is 11-13. But with the momentum the Mavs have right now, especially from a comeback victory on Wednesday, I like them here.

They’re scoring at a ridiculous rate lately, but also allowing a lot of points. The Pels have the ability to do damage offensively, so I’m predicting a high-scoring affair here. Take Dallas to cover the spread, while both teams will combine for the over in total points.

Pick: Mavericks -2 (-110), OVER 233.5 Points (-110)