Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction & Picks - NBA

Prediction published on 1/15/25, 3:55 AM  by Erik Gibbs | Modified on 1/15/25 at 6:01 AM in NBA Picks

The Dallas Mavericks (22-17) head to New Orleans on Wednesday for a back-to-back matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans (8-32) after hosting the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Dallas is currently third in the Southwest Division, trailing the first-place Houston Rockets by 4.5 games. Meanwhile, New Orleans sits at the bottom of the division, 19 games behind Houston. Dallas has struggled recently, losing seven of its last nine games and currently enduring a two-game losing streak. The Mavericks fell to the Denver Nuggets 118-99 on Tuesday night, marking their second consecutive defeat to Denver. Dallas struggled offensively, with Daniel Gafford leading the team in scoring off the bench with 13 points.

Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving added just eight and 10 points, respectively, while the team shot 42% overall and only 9-of-32 from beyond the arc. Defensively, Dallas allowed 71 first-half points, effectively sealing their fate early in the game. PJ Washington also struggled, contributing just five points on 2-of-10 shooting, while Irving connected on only 4-of-18 attempts from the field. The Mavericks continue to navigate injuries to key players, including Luka Dončić and Irving, leaving Klay Thompson as the team’s active leading scorer with an average of 13.8 points per game.

Dereck Lively II leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.2 per game, while Spencer Dinwiddie is the assist leader with an average of 3.5 per game. The Mavericks average 116.4 points per game as a team, shooting 48.0% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.