The Dallas Mavericks will stay at home another game and welcome the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. ET Feb. 12 at American Airlines Center. If the contest is anything like the Mavericks' 127-123 victory from their previous meeting in March of last year, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
Dallas escaped with a win on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks by the margin of a single free throw, 118-117. It was another big night for Dallas' point guard Luka Doncic, who posted a triple-double on 28 points, ten dimes, and ten rebounds. Doncic now has six triple-doubles this season.
Meanwhile, New Orleans lost to the Chicago Bulls on the road by a decisive 129-116 margin. New Orleans' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of point guard Lonzo Ball, who had 21 points and seven assists along with five boards, and power forward Zion Williamson, who had 29 points.
Barring any buzzer beaters, Dallas is expected to win a tight contest Friday. They have failed bettors playing the spread in their past four games, so buyers beware.
The Mavericks are now 12-14 while the Pelicans sit at 11-13. A couple numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Dallas enters the game with 21.7 fouls drawn per game on average, good for second best in the league. But New Orleans comes into the matchup boasting the third fewest fouls per game in the league at 17.6. The ref's whistle might dictate the flow of action in this one.
How To Watch Mavericks vs. Pelicans LIVE
Odds
The Mavericks are a slight 2.5-point favorite against the Pelicans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Mavericks as a 2-point favorite.
Over/Under: -111
Luka and Zion’s first matchup lived up to the hype! 🍿
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 5, 2020
Catch the re-air of the Mavericks-Pelicans OT thriller at 4pm ET on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/LK1Z76JiCj