New Orleans is coming off a humbling loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, but the Pelicans are still in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They are just three games behind Memphis for the No. 8 seed, and New Orleans will have the easiest schedule remaining over the last 20-plus games. New Orleans is currently tied with Sacramento and San Antonio in the race for that spot, and Portland is just a half-game back, so there is still a logjam for the last postseason berth in the West. The Pelicans will play a team that has no such concerns about making the postseason on Wednesday night in the second part of an ESPN doubleheader when they travel to face the Dallas Mavericks.
This game will take place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET on March 4, 2020, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Head-To-Head Results to Date
Dallas has won all three previous meetings against New Orleans this year, but all three of those games occurred by Pearl Harbor Day, before Zion Williamson was healthy. The Mavericks won the first game 123-116 as Luka Doncic notched a triple-double to lead Dallas to the victory. That was the closest New Orleans has come to beating Dallas, as the Pelicans lost the next two games by a combined score of 248-181.
Doncic again overpowered the Pelicans in a 118-97 victory in early December. Last season’s Rookie of the Year scored 33 points and brought down 18 rebounds in 28 minutes, but that paled in comparison to what we saw four days later. Doncic scored 28 points in 26 minutes in a 130-84 rout of New Orleans in the last meeting between these teams.
Injury Report
Dwight Powell will miss the rest of the season for Dallas due to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, depriving the Mavericks of depth in the frontcourt. Additionally, the Mavericks are unlikely to have Jalen Brunson available due to a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for the last week. Doncic is questionable after sitting out of Dallas’ game with Minnesota on Sunday due to a sprained thumb, and Willie Cauley-Stein is questionable as well for personal reasons.
The Pelicans won’t have Darius Miller available for the rest of the season, and J.J. Redick will miss the next two weeks with a hamstring injury. Redick’s injury stings as he is New Orleans’ most reliable three-point shooter, but Kenrich Williams is expected back in the lineup on Wednesday night.
Matchup to Watch
Everyone is hoping that Doncic is healthy for this game so that we can see two of the best young players in the NBA on the same court for the first time. Doncic is averaging close to a triple-double with 28.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 8.8 APG, while Williamson has been as good as advertised in his rookie year. Williamson is making 59.3 percent of his field goals and averaging 24.1 PPG, and he is already leading the Pelicans in PER.
Game Preview
New Orleans has plenty of players that can create their own shot even without Redick. Brandon Ingram has had a resurgent season in the Big Easy, while Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart have been dangerous in the backcourt.
Kristaps Porzingis is coming off one of his best performances of the season. Porzingis dropped 38 points in a victory over Minnesota on Sunday, and he has made 40 percent or more of his threes in five of his last six games.
Prediction
Doncic’s health is key in this game. If he plays, look for Dallas to cover the NBA betting odds, but his absence would likely lead to a New Orleans victory.
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