New Orleans Pelicans vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 2/21/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Friday, February 21, 2025

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: KFAA

The Dallas Mavericks (30-26) host the New Orleans Pelicans (13-42) at American Airlines Center on Friday.

The Pelicans played the Kings and took home the win by a score of 140-133 in their last game. New Orleans wrapped up the game having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (46 of 92) and knocked down 21 of their 50 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Pelicans buried 27 of 34 shots for a percentage of 79.4%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 45 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 32 assists for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and having 11 steals. In the matter of defense, New Orleans let their opponent shoot 43.8% from the field on 49 out of 112 shooting. Sacramento dished out 38 dimes and had 8 steals in the game. Additionally, Sacramento grabbed 58 boards (21 offensive, 37 defensive) and earned 7 blocked shots. Sacramento finished shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe by making 18 of 21 attempts. They also made 17 of 47 shots from distance. Regarding personal fouls, the Pelicans finished with 17 and the Kings recorded 19 personal fouls.

CJ McCollum is one guy who was a contributor in this contest. McCollum finished shooting 64.0% from the floor and dished out 2 assists. He saw the court for 41 mins played and snagged 7 rebounds. He totaled 43 points on 16 out of 25 shooting.

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New Orleans heads into this game with a win-loss record of 13-42 for the campaign. They currently have an average of 110.6 points per contest (22nd in the NBA) while going 44.8% from the field. The Pelicans are hitting 35.0% on shots from beyond the arc (680 of 1,944) and 76.7% from the free throw line. As a team, New Orleans is snagging 42.8 boards per contest and is sitting with 1,389 assists for the year, which ranks 20th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 14.3 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Pelicans are forcing 14.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.1 personal fouls. They rank 28th in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,579 relinquished for the season. The Pelicans defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 48.4% (2,430 of 5,018) and they surrender 46.7 boards per game as a group. They surrender 36.7% on 3-point shots and they rank 28th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (119.4).

When they last played, the Mavericks walked away with a victory by a final of 118-113 when they played the Heat. Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Dallas allowed Miami to collect 42 in all (16 on the offensive side). They finished 27.8% from 3-point land by shooting 10 out of 36 and ended up going 17 of 26 from the free throw line (65.4%). The Mavericks permitted the Heat to convert 43 of their 91 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.3% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Mavericks finished 46 for 90 from the field which had them shooting 51.1%. Concerning shots from distance, Dallas buried 13 out of 36 tries (36.1%). They were able to make 13 of them for a rate of 81.3%. The Heat were called for 14 fouls for the matchup which got the Mavericks to the free throw line for a total of 16 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while getting 7 steals for the game. The Mavericks corralled 29 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 40 for this game.

Dante Exum was important for the Mavericks for the contest. Exum accumulated 27 points in his 24 mins of playing time and had 4 assists in this contest. He converted 11 of 13 for the matchup giving him a rate of 84.6%, and added 3 rebounds.

Dallas has a record of 30-26 on the year. As an offensive unit, the Mavericks are connecting on 47.9% from the floor, which ranks 8th in the NBA. Dallas has totaled 6,480 pts on the year (115.7 per contest) and they collect 44.3 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 25.3 times per contest (22nd in the NBA) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.2 times per contest. The Mavericks are committing 18.6 personal fouls per contest and they hit 77.3% from the charity stripe.

The Mavericks on the defensive side of the court are 17th in the league in PPG surrendered with 113.5. They have forced 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.9% from the field (9th in basketball). The Dallas defense allows 36.2% on 3-point attempts (731 of 2,019) and their opposition knocks down 77.1% of their foul shots. They surrender 26.6 assists and 44.5 rebounds per contest, ranking them 19th and 17th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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