Mavericks are underdogs against the Pelicans in interesting twist

The Dallas Mavericks have a back-to-back to go through before playing the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, and it starts with a road game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. And in a strange fashion, the Pelicans are actually the favorites thanks to a four-game winning streak.

Only one of those wins came against a good team, as they were able to knock off the Houston Rockets on Thursday, but considering they had only won three games before this recent stretch, it's impressive nonetheless.

A big reason for that is they have six players averaging double-figures scoring over the last four games: Trey Murphy III (22.0), Zion Williamson (18.7), Saddiq Bey (18.0), Jordan Poole (17.3), Derik Queen (13.5), and Jeremiah Fears (13.3). They also have two more averaging just below 10 PPG, so it's just a very balanced scoring attack.

Queen has been the big story, though. His brand of ball is just unique, as he's also averaging 8.8 RPG and 4.8 APG in that time. There was a lot of pressure on him entering the season due to what the Pelicans gave up for him in the most recent draft, and while they probably won't win enough games to make up for giving up their unprotected first-round pick next year, Queen is at least playing at a really high level.

Dec 20, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

James Borrego has stepped in since they fired Willie Green and helped make them competitive. That's a lot more than you could say about them beforehand.

The Mavericks have won six of their last nine games, but are coming off a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday evening. Cooper Flagg is no longer an 18-year-old, but he is questionable to play in this game due to a back injury. He had a tremendous close to his 18th year on earth, averaging 25.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 3.6 APG in his last nine games.

Former Pelican Naji Marshall has also been incredible recently, though. He's shooting 71.4% on shots in the paint this year, which is an incredible mark for a wing. He'll wan to have another strong mark after shooting 9/12 from the floor against the 76ers on Saturday.