The Dallas Mavericks are favored to win against the New Orleans Pelicans despite playing without Luka Doncic. The Mavericks have shown they can compete with top teams, and Kyrie Irving is leading the offense. The Pelicans are struggling defensively and haven't been able to cover the spread in their last three games.
The New Orleans Pelicans will be looking to end their three-game losing streak when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night. The Mavericks have proven they can compete with the league's best teams even without superstar Luka Doncic , who strained his left calf on Christmas and has been sidelined since. Dallas has managed a 6-11 record in the 17 games since Doncic's injury, but there have been encouraging signs.
They've recently defeated the Thunder twice, dealing a blow to the team with the best record in the NBA. Kyrie Irving has emerged as the focal point of the offense, averaging 24.1 points per game, while the Mavericks have seven players scoring in double figures. Players like Daniel Gafford and Spencer Dinwiddie have stepped up to contribute crucial points. The Pelicans briefly appeared to be turning their season around with a five-game winning streak between January 10th and January 20th. However, they have since lost three games, failing to cover the spread in any of those contests. The Pelicans have benefited from having a healthy Zion Williamson in the lineup for the last two games, but even with Williamson scoring 28 and 31 points on Saturday and Monday respectively, the team's offense has struggled, averaging only 98 points in those two games. New Orleans continues to face defensive challenges, ranking 28th in defensive rating (117.5) and last in defensive rebounding percentage. They allow opponents to score 117.7 points per game and have allowed 10 consecutive opponents to score 110 or more points. With Doncic leading the Mavericks' offense, this is a total the Mavericks should easily surpass against the struggling Pelicans defense. The predicted outcome is a Dallas victory, as the Pelicans are unlikely to keep up in a high-scoring game. Despite Doncic's absence, both teams possess significant scoring potential. Dallas has exceeded the total in four straight games, while New Orleans has gone Over in six of its last nine games overall. With both teams consistently reaching totals of 135+ in recent games, the Over is a strong bet. Focusing on a scorer for this matchup is a logical approach, given the expectation of a high-scoring game. Kyrie Irving, who has taken on an even larger role in the Dallas offense with Doncic's injury, is a good choice. Irving averages 24.1 points per game and is likely to surpass that total against the vulnerable New Orleans defense. Betting on Irving to score 25+ points appears to be the safest option
NBA Mavericks Pelicans Luka Doncic Kyrie Irving Zion Williamson Sports Predictions
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