Mavericks vs. Pelicans prediction and odds for Wednesday, March 8 (Pels primed for upset)

The New Orleans Pelicans need as many wins as they can get down the stretch of the 2022-23 season, as they are clinging to the No. 10 spot in the conference.

New Orleans takes on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, and it is set as a slight underdog at home in this game.

It makes sense since the Pelicans are without Zion Williamson, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr., but the Mavericks are in the second night of a back-to-back.

Dallas played a hard-fought game at home on Tuesday, holding off the Utah Jazz for a four-point win. Dallas has struggled against the spread this season, but does it cover as a favorite here?

Let’s check out the latest odds:

Mavericks vs. Pelicans odds, spread and total

Mavericks vs. Pelicans prediction and pick

The Pelicans have been a tough team to wager on with Williamson out, but I think they are live to pull off the upset on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks are just 4-10 against the spread as road favorites this season, and they have struggled on the second night of back-to-backs, going 2-7-1 ATS in those games.

New Orleans, on the other hand, is 6-4 against the spread when set as a home underdog.

Dallas has a great offensive attack with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but the team has been horrible on defense as of late. Dallas ranks 26th in the league in defensive rating (120.2) over its last 10 games.

The Pelicans are a great home team this season, going 20-11 straight up while Dallas is just 12-19 on the road. Give me the Pels to win this game.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.