For all the preseason talk about how the Southwest will be the NBA’s most hotly-contested division, the New Orleans Pelicans are certainly not living up to their lofty expectations.
The Pelicans suffered their sixth-straight defeat last Saturday at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks to stay winless this season, but they have a good shot at retribution when they face the Mavs again this Tuesday, and on their own home court this time around.
Let’s take a closer look at this intriguing division rivalry below. And with college basketball’s opening tip-off just around the corner, check out our features on the top point guards and centers of the 2015-16 NCAA season right after this.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Dallas Mavericks vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
When: Tuesday, November 10, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Dallas Mavericks
[sc:NBA240banner ]With a 107-98 win over the Pelicans this past Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks can finally cross out the “win a home game” portion on their young season’s checklist. Now, the Mavs must focus on achieving a new and more critical goal: back-to-back victories.
Looking ahead, the team seems to be in good shape for a winning streak, especially with their wily veterans – namely Deron Williams and Dirk Nowitzki – stepping up when the team needs them the most. Williams scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half of Saturday’s win, while half of Nowitzki’s 18 points of the game came in the fourth quarter.
Nowitzki, Dallas’s franchise player for 18 seasons and counting, is only averaging 17 points per contest this season. However, his 51.3-percent shooting clip from the field is certainly a welcome statistic for the Mavericks, who are still a point shy of averaging 100 points per game – not exactly what we expect yearly from a team widely-known for its offensive prowess.
But that’s not to say that the Mavs are short of young talent to push the tempo, as one particular upstart is getting more and more comfortable with his role in the team. Second-year center Dwight Powell had another superb showing last Saturday, scoring 15 points for his third-straight double-digit scoring performance.
Furthermore, Powell is also averaging exactly eight rebounds per contest, giving Dallas (who struck out on the DeAndre Jordan sweepstakes in the offseason in the worst way possible) that much-needed presence in the post. And thanks to Powell’s unforeseen productivity, the Mavericks are surprisingly sixth in the NBA right now in rebounding with 47 boards per game.
Dallas has won nine of the last ten meetings against the Pelicans (7-3 against the spread).
Create a betting account now and cash in from all of the exciting action from the Southwest and all the other compelling division rivalries on tap in this young season of the NBA.
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans
Going back to the subject of rebounding from earlier, that’s just one of the many problems facing the New Orleans Pelicans this season. New Orleans is currently the second-worst rebounding team in the league (40.0 rebounds per game), and the team’s standout big man, Anthony Davis, is not entirely at fault for the low production in this department.
Once again, Davis literally did a little bit of everything in Saturday’s game against the Mavs (25 points, six boards, four assists, a steal and a couple of blocks), but the Pelicans saw little else from the entire roster, which ultimately led to yet another deflating loss. Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson finished with over 20 points apiece, but the rest of the team’s supporting cast was mostly a non-factor.
One can only feel pity for Pels early this season, who have been cursed by a myriad of injuries for about the past two seasons now. With Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik all out, and with Luke Babbitt, Ish Smith and Alexis Ajinca as the team’s current starters in their ailing comrades’ places, it’s no secret then as for why the Pelicans are struggling to win ball games.
Their six-straight losses to start this campaign is the franchise’s worst start since the ‘04-’05 season, when the team lost their first eight contests and also ended up with a franchise-worst record of 18-64.
In fact, with the injury bug being the main season-killer for New Orleans, the team is actually dead last in the league defensively by giving up a whopping 114.7 points per game to the opposition. Davis and the rest of his ragtag crew will need more than just keeping the currently offensively-challenged Mavs in check this Tuesday to avoid yet another crippling defeat.
Thankfully, the Pelicans are playing at home to try and break their dismal skid. New Orleans is 4-6 SU/ATS in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Dallas finally notches its first winning streak of the 2015-16 season with a 103-92 victory over the Pelicans.
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