We have a seven-game slate in the NBA on Thursday, February 2, including this divisional rivalry game, so make sure you read the best Pelicans vs. Mavericks betting pick and odds.

New Orleans is desperate to avoid the tenth consecutive defeat when they visit Dallas at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks are 5-point favorites on BookMaker Sportsbook, while the total is set at 229 points. These Southwest Division foes have met on two occasions this year, and the series is tied at 1-1.

Pelicans lost the ninth game in a row

The New Orleans Pelicans (26-26, 24-28-0 ATS) are playing their worst basketball of the season and are on a nine-game losing skid after suffering a 122-113 road loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Pelicans will conclude their three-game with this clash against Dallas on Thursday. The third quarter in a loss against the Nuggets was crucial; Denver won it by 12 points and made 16 triples opposite New Orleans’ eight.

Herbert Jones led the Pelicans with 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, and game-high five steals. C.J. McCollum also scored 21 points with seven dishes, Brandon Ingram added 16 points, team-high nine dimes, and four boards, Trey Murphy scored 14, while Larry Nance Jr. posted a double-double of 13 points and team-high 11 rebounds along with a pair of thefts.

PF Zion Williamson (hamstring) and SF Dyson Daniels (ankle) are out indefinitely and will not play in Dallas on Thursday.

Mavericks beat Detroit thanks to fantastic Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks (27-25, 17-33-2 ATS) are not playing very well at the moment as they recorded more losses than victories in 2023 but managed to defeat the Detroit Pistons 111-105 at home in the latest game. That, of course, wouldn’t be possible without magnificent Luka Doncic, who singlehandedly destroyed Detroit. Dallas shot 49.4% from the field, and considering that the teams were pretty tied in most segments, Luka was the one who made a difference.

Doncic torched the Pistons with 53 points (17-24 FG, 5-11 3PT, 14-18 FT), team-high eight rebounds, and team-high five assists. Luka scored 18 of Dallas’ first 20 points and 24 of the Mavs’ 30 points in the first quarter. Before this game, Doncic was tied with Dirk Nowitzki for the most points in a regulation-length game with 51, but he set a new franchise record with this performance. It was Doncic’s four 50-point game of the season. Spencer Dinwiddie was the only one, besides Doncic, with a double-digit display for the Mavericks as he scored 12 points.

C Christian Wood (thumb) and PF/C Maxi Kleber (hamstring) are out indefinitely and will not face the Pelicans on Thursday.

Trends:

New Orleans:

  • 0-4 ATS in the last four games overall
  • 1-4 ATS in the last five road games
  • 2-10 ATS in the last 12 games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record

Dallas:

  • 10-4 ATS in the last 14 Thursday games

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Dallas Mavericks Pick

New Orleans has a more efficient offense than Dallas when it comes to points, but that offense has been struggling recently. The Pelicans failed to score more than 113 points in each of the previous nine games, and considering the Mavs are allowing 112.0 points per game, I doubt the visitors will score more than 110 in this one. Dallas is far from playing its best basketball, but the Pelicans are even worse at the moment, so I am going with Luka Doncic to lead the Mavericks to another victory. The Mavs won six of the last seven H2H duels at home.

Pick: Take the Mavericks at -4.5 (-120)

The Total

Despite having one of the best players on the planet, Dallas’ offense is not even in the top 20 in the NBA as it averages 112.3 points per game. The Pels are averaging 115.0 ppg, but I mentioned their recent struggles, so I don’t expect to see a high-scoring affair on Thursday. The Mavericks did score 127 in the previous H2H in Dallas, but I don’t think that’s going to happen here, especially after scoring only 111 against Detroit. Under is 5-1 in the Mavericks’ last six overall, while Under is 6-2 in Dallas’ previous eight games playing on two days of rest.

Pick: Go Under 230.5 points (-130)