There are 10 games on this Wednesday’s NBA schedule as the regular season churns its way towards the end of February. The two Texas-sized matchups that I want to focus on for this NBA betting preview make up ESPN’s doubleheader for the night. First, New Orleans will be on the road against Dallas in an 8 p.m. (ET) tip, and the nightcap sends the red-hot Houston Rockets on the road to face the Los Angeles Clippers. That game is set to get underway at 10:30 p.m.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Dallas Mavericks

New Orleans hung tough in the Western Conference standings through the first three months of the regular season, but a four-game losing streak as part of a 3-7 straight up record in its last 10 games has dropped it 10 games below .500 at 23-33. The Pelicans are slightly better ATS at 24-28-3, but they have failed to cover in six of their last seven games. When it comes to covering on the road this season, they have gone 11-15-3 ATS, and the total has stated “under” in three of their last five road games.

The Pelicans have been hit hard by injuries with the loss of Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday and Jason Smith for the foreseeable future, so much of the weight of this team’s fortunes has fallen on the shoulders of Anthony Davis. The second-year forward leads the team in points (20.5) and rebounds (10.2). Eric Gordon has also helped the cause with 15.7 points per game.

The Mavericks have won their last three games SU to move into seventh place in the West with an overall record of 35-23. They have gone a solid 18-9 SU at home overall, but they have just four SU wins in their last seven home games. When it comes to betting on Dallas, it has failed to cover in four of its last six contests to fall to 32-26 ATS. It is just 12-15 ATS at home this season, and the total has gone over in 16 of the 27 games.

Led by Dirk Nowitzki (21.7 points) and Monta Ellis (18.9 points), the Mavericks are ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring with an average of 104.5 PPG. They are shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from 3-point range. Nowitzki has been especially effective shooting the ball; he is hitting 49.4 percent from the floor and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.

BetOnline has opened Dallas as an eight-point home favorite for this Southwest Division clash, with the total set at 205.

The road team in this series is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings, but New Orleans has lost the last six games SU, including the three previous meetings this season. The total has gone “over” in the last seven meetings in Dallas.

Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers

The Rockets head into Tuesday night’s road game against Sacramento with just one SU loss in their last 10 games to improve to 38-18 on the year. They are now just two games in back of San Antonio for the top spot in the Southwest Division. Houston has been less exciting ATS with an even 3-3 mark in its last six games, but it has covered in four of its last six contests on the road. The total has gone over in three of its last four games overall.

Houston is ranked third in the NBA in scoring (106.1 points) behind James Harden’s 24.3 PPG and ranked fifth in rebounds (45.3) with Dwight Howard pulling down 12.6 boards a game. Chandler Parsons has also been a big part of the Rockets’ success with 17.1 points while hitting 49.6 percent of his shots from the floor.

The Clippers have to be thrilled to have Chris Paul back in the starting lineup for regular season’s stretch run. They are currently just a game and half in back of Houston in the Western Conference standings after back-to-back road victories both SU and ATS over Oklahoma City and New Orleans. Los Angeles now returns home where it has won 23 of 28 games SU, but it is just 14-14 ATS. The total has gone over in four of its last six home games.

The duo of Paul and Blake Griffin has been extremely productive as well when they are both healthy and in the lineup. Paul is averaging 19 PPG, and he leads the NBA in assists with 11.2 a game. Griffin is the team’s leading scorer with 24.3 points, and he is adding an average of 9.8 rebounds. Jamal Crawford has also been a force with 19.1 points, and DeAndre Jordan is pulling down a team-high 14 rebounds a game. The Clippers are ranked second in the NBA in scoring with 107.3 PPG.

Los Angeles comes into this matchup as a 4.5-point home favorite, and the total for this likely shootout has been appropriately set at 218.5.

These two met twice in early November, with the Clippers winning both meetings SU and ATS. They have now won eight of the last 10 games SU, and they hold a slight 6-4 edge over Houston ATS. The total has stayed under in four of the last six meetings.

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