Mavs at Pelicans Preview: No Rest For The Weary on 2nd Night of Back-to-Back?

NEW ORLEANS – After mounting a plethora of single-digit, clutch losses recently, the Dallas Mavericks have been able to win two of their last three. Big wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz sandwich a four-point loss to the Phoenix Suns, and the Mavs were able to salvage their six-game homestand with a 3-3 record in that span.

Now, on the second night of a back-to-back, the Mavs will take on a New Orleans Pelicans squad that is battered, bruised and clinging to the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference standings. While Dallas has captured a little bit of momentum recently, especially on the offensive end of the floor, New Orleans has lost six of its last seven games as star forward Zion Williamson remains out with a hamstring injury.

Luka Doncic, despite putting up big numbers in the Mavs' last two games, appears to be fatigued, as he shot a combined 18-46 (39.1%) from the field and 5-20 (25%) from deep against the 76ers and Suns. He could probably benefit from getting the night off in New Orleans, but at this point in the season, can the Mavs really afford to let Doncic rest with the standings being as tight as they are?

Luckily for Doncic, things aren't as difficult as they used to be when he'd become fatigued. In the game against Utah on Tuesday, when it appeared that Doncic was running on fumes, his co-star teammate Kyrie Irving took over the game in the fourth quarter to secure the 120-116 win. Irving had a team-high 33 points, and 17 of those points came in the final period alone.

Although the Mavs are on a back-to-back, the Pelicans are returning home from a three-game road trip. The first game back from a road trip seems to always be tougher than most home games, as the Mavs have found out firsthand this season, so Dallas will have a chance to capture consecutive wins if it shows up focused and hungry after climbing from seventh to fifth in the West standings on Tuesday.

The Pelicans are missing key players, but they still have a handful of weapons that will be tough for the Mavs to guard, including Brandon Ingram, C.J. McCollum, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas. In New Orleans latest loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, all five starters scored in double-figures.

The Mavs have been in five consecutive clutch games heading into tonight's matchup with the Pelicans, and there's no reason to think they won't find themselves in another one at Smoothie King Center.

Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report

Dallas Mavericks

Official injury report not submitted yet as of 7:45 a.m. CT.

New Orleans Pelicans

Jose Alvarado - OUT (right tibial stress reaction)
Zion Williamsson - OUT (right hamstring strain)
Larry Nance Jr. - OUT (left ankle sprain)

FUN FACT: The Mavs are 4-2 in their last six games played at Smoothie King Center. For some reason, the New Orleans air seems to bring out the best in the Mavs over the last few years. However, Dallas lost its last game in New Orleans on Oct. 25, 113-111, as Doncic's game-winning 3-point heave hit iron at the buzzer.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (34-32), New Orleans Pelicans (31-34)

WHEN: Wednesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. CT

WHERE: Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA)

TV: ESPN

RADIO:

ODDS: The Mavs are 1.5-point favorite over the Pelicans.

NEXT UP: Dallas will finish up a brief two-game road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The Grizzlies will still be without star point guard Ja Morant, who is out indefinitely after an incident where he displayed a gun at a night club on his Instagram account.

FINAL WORD: "He was the hot player – he was going," coach Jason Kidd said of Irving's stellar fourth-quarter performance on Tuesday. "When he wasn't scoring, he was finding the open guy or he was causing a double team. We played through him down the stretch and he delivered; made some big baskets but he made some big free throws, too."

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