The Dallas Mavericks (11-18) face the New Orleans Pelicans (7-22) Monday. Tip-off from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, is set for 8 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Mavericks vs. Pelicans odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Tied 1-1
The Mavs fell 121-114 Saturday to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Mavs failed to cover as 2.5-point road favorites. Rookie F Cooper Flagg had 24 points, and C Anthony Davis matched him with 24 and added 15 boards. The Mavs have lost 2 of 3 but have won 6 of 10.
The Pelicans are on a heater, winners of 4 straight, after a 128-109 blowout of the Indiana Pacers Saturday. The Pels covered as 5-point home faves. F Zion Williamson came off the bench to drop 29 points with 7 boards in 23 minutes. In 3 December games, he’s averaging 24 minutes and posting 18.7 points per game (PPG).
These teams split 2 games in Dallas last month. NOLA won 101-99 as 8.5-point dogs Nov. 5. The Mavs exacted revenge in a 118-115 win Nov. 21, failing to cover as 3.5-point favorites.
Mavericks at Pelicans odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:13 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Mavericks -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Pelicans -110 (bet $110 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): Mavericks +1.5 (-125) | Pelicans -1.5 (-105)Over/Under (O/U): 239.5 (O: -118 | U: -110)Mavericks at Pelicans key injuries
Mavericks
G Max Christie (illness) questionableG Dante Exum (knee) outF Cooper Flagg (back) questionableG Kyrie Irving (knee) outF Dereck Lively II (foot) outG Klay Thompson (knee) questionable
Pelicans
F Herbert Jones (head) questionableG Dejounte Murray (Achilles’) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Mavericks at Pelicans picks and predictionsPrediction
Mavericks 118, Pelicans 105
This is an easy one for me. Take the MAVERICKS (-110), and that’s based upon the 6-foot-10 frame of AD. Davis has averaged 26.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in 15 games against his former team. In his lone meeting against them last season, while with the Los Angeles Lakers, he dropped 31 and 14.
Skip the spread and take ANTHONY DAVIS OVER 23.5 POINTS (-118). He has 24+ points in 3 of 4 games and has terrorized the team that drafted him.
The Mavs are 7-3 O/U in their last 10 and 5-1 in their last 6. The Pels are 6-4 O/U in the same stretch. We’ve cashed 2 Unders in the previous meetings this season, though. Now AD was out of both of those, but his presence only laments the UNDER 239.5 (-110) even more for his defensive prowess.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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