Dallas Mavericks Look To Extend Win Streak In New Orleans

Unable to capitalize on their previous two opportunities, the Dallas Mavericks will attempt to win a third-straight game Friday as they visit the New Orleans Pelicans. 

This evening, the Dallas Mavericks (11-25) take their two-game win streak into New Orleans (18-16), as the Pelicans look to extend their own win streak to four games. Game time is at 8:00 p.m ET.

For Dallas, this is another opportunity to steal a win from a team with a winning record.

One bright spot of this disappointing season, their ability to play their best against top-tier teams has been refreshing. Surprisingly, eight of their 11 wins so far have come against teams at .500 or better.

Two of those wins came earlier this week as they took down the Toronto Raptors (23-10) and Indiana Pacers (19-16).

As for the Pelicans, they’re coming off a 128-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday in which Rajon Rondo dished out a career-high 25 assists. The trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis and Rondo have helped New Orleans surpass expectations and enter the playoff picture. While healthy, they make New Orleans a tough outing for any team.

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When they first went head-to-head back on November 3rd, the dynamic big man duo was all they needed as New Orleans defeated Dallas 99-94. Davis scored a game-high 30 points while Cousins tallied 20 points and 22 rebounds. Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 26 points as Salah Mejri grabbed 13 rebounds.

Keys To The Game

For Dallas to grab a win tonight, they will need to protect the paint at all costs. The Pelicans currently rank No.2 with 50.2 points in the paint per game. That accounts for 45 percent of their total offense (111.1 ppg).

Dallas will also need to capitalize on New Orleans’ proclivity to turn the ball over. They currently rank No. 3 at 16.2 turnovers per game while Cousins leads all players with five per game.

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Though it won’t be easy, Dallas can extend their win streak tonight, if they focus on making the Pelicans shoot more and forcing their bigs to cough up the ball.