The Dallas Mavericks will travel after their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers to take on the New Orleans Pelicans in a must-lose game.
After their most recent win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Dallas Mavericks are 30 games back from the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder and a full game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans.
On Monday, with no rest, the Mavericks will travel south to the Big Easy to take on the Pelicans, who have won three of their last five and are playing some of their best basketball of the season.
Dejounte Murray has returned from a torn Achilles and looks to be back in the All-Star form he found with the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks are playing for draft position and currently have the seventh-best odds at the top pick. New Orleans, meanwhile, owes their draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks and has absolutely zero reason to tank.
If the Mavericks lose, they will fall to the sixth-best odds, and with a month left in the season, dropping their position as low as possible needs to be the top priority.
For Dallas, tonight is the most important game of the season.
Before tipoff, we have you covered with everything you need to know, from betting odds, TV info, and injury reports for both squads.
How to Watch Mavericks vs. Pelicans
- Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans LA
- When: 7:00PM CST
- TV Channel: ABC
- Streaming: NBA League Pass
Dallas Mavericks Injury Report
- Dereck Lively II, foot (OUT)
- Kyrie Irving, ACL (OUT)
- Daniel Gafford, illness (QUESTIONABLE)
- Klay Thompson, conditioning (QUESTIONABLE)
New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report
- Dejounte Murray, illness (QUESTIONABLE)
- Bryce McGowens, toe (OUT)
Mavericks vs. Pelicans Betting Lines
- Point spread: Mavericks +8.5/Pelicans -8.5
- Money line: Mavericks (+290)/Pelicans (-360)
- Over/under: 240.5
These two teams are entering the game with totally different agendas. Dallas wants to lose, lose, and lose in order to pair Cooper Flagg with the best rookie possible in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Pelicans, meanwhile, lost all hope for a top pick last summer when they flipped their selection for Derik Queen.
New Orleans has been ravaged by injury all season long, but if Murray plays tonight, it will be a rare chance for their core to show what they're made of. Luckily for them, Dallas should have no problem being a punching bag in tonight's match-up, letting Trey Murphy III let it rain from deep and Zion Williamson dominate the paint.
After all, it's for the greater good.
