Dallas @ New Orleans

Current Records: Dallas 23-20; New Orleans 19-25

The New Orleans Pelicans have been on the wrong side of a one-way rivalry with the Dallas Mavericks and are hoping to record their first win since March 18 of 2019. They will face off at 9 p.m. ET March 27 at Smoothie King Center without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. If the contest is anything like Dallas' 143-130 victory from their previous meeting in February, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.

The Pelicans were within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 113-108 to the Denver Nuggets. Power forward Zion Williamson put forth a good effort for the losing side as he posted a double-double on 39 points and ten boards along with five assists.

Meanwhile, the matchup between the Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers on Friday was not particularly close, with Dallas falling 109-94. Point guard Jalen Brunson wasn't much of a difference maker for Dallas; Brunson finished with ten points on 5-for-13 shooting in his 33 minutes on the court.

With both teams hitting sour notes in their previous games, they will no doubt be looking to produce a better outcome in this one. Allowing an average of 115.05 points per game, New Orleans hasn't exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We'll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming game.

The Mavericks are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Pelicans, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Mavericks as a 2.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Dallas have won 11 out of their last 21 games against New Orleans.