Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 3/16/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Monday, March 16, 2026

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Gulf Coast Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans (22-46) host the Dallas Mavericks (22-45) at Smoothie King Center on Monday.

The Mavericks played the Cavaliers and went home with a loss by a final score of 138-105 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Mavericks left the arena with 14 while the Cavaliers finished the game with 22 personal fouls. They converted 18 of 38 attempts from beyond the arc. Cleveland finished the game at 61.5% at the charity stripe by making 8 of 13 tries. In addition, Cleveland snagged 45 rebounds (9 offensive, 36 defensive) and got 3 blocked shots. Cleveland recorded 32 assists and had 12 steals for the contest. Regarding defense, Dallas allowed 61.5% from the field on 56 out of 91 shooting. They also doled out 27 dimes for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 4 steals. When discussing getting rebounds, they collected a total of 40 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Mavericks converted 20 of 24 attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. Dallas ended the contest with a 43.7% FG percentage (38 of 87) and converted 9 out of their 33 three-point attempts.

Cooper Flagg is one player who was a factor in the matchup. Flagg finished the contest at 50.0% from the floor and dished out 5 assists. He played for 29 minutes and grabbed 4 rebounds. He accumulated 25 points on 8 out of 16 shooting.

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Dallas will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 22-45 this year. They turn it over 14.9 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.1 fouls every game. As a unit, Dallas is pulling in 44.9 rebounds per game and has racked up 1,670 assists on the campaign, which ranks 23rd in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Mavericks are connecting on 33.9% on 3-pointers (710 of 2,092) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 112.9 points per outing (24th in the NBA) on 46.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Mavericks are forcing 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 21.0 personal fouls. They are 25th in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,867 surrendered on the season. The Mavericks defense is allowing a FG percentage of 47.2% (2,974 of 6,307) and they surrender 46.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They surrender 34.2% on shots from distance while they are 23rd in the league in opponents PPG (118.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Pelicans took a defeat with a final score of 107-105 against the Rockets. The Pelicans recorded 33 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive rebounds for a total of 48 for the matchup. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. The Rockets were called for 21 fouls for the game which got the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They were able to bury 18 of them for a percentage of 69.2%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, New Orleans made 13 of 32 attempts (40.6%). When the final whistle blew, the Pelicans shot 37 for 84 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.0%. The Pelicans allowed the Rockets to convert 40 of their 94 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 42.6% in the matchup. They went 34.1% from downtown by connecting on 14 of 41 and finished the game at 13 of 17 at the charity stripe (76.5%). In the matter of rebounding, New Orleans permitted Houston to get 52 in total (18 offensive).

Jeremiah Fears was important for the Pelicans in this game. He buried 3 out of 9 for this game giving him a rate of 33.3%, and had 1 rebound. Jeremiah had 9 points in his 13 mins on the hardwood, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 22-46 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Pelicans are connecting on 46.5% from the field, which has them ranked 19th in the league. New Orleans has accumulated 7,850 points so far this year (115.4 per contest) and they collect 44.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 25.1 times per contest (23rd in basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.3 times per contest. The Pelicans commit 20.0 personal fouls per contest and they go 78.7% from the free throw line.

The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 26th in basketball in PPG surrendered with 119.8. They are forcing their opponents into 14.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.4% from the floor (23rd in the league). The New Orleans defense surrenders 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (977 of 2,804) and their opposition knocks down 77.9% of their free throw shots. They surrender 27.8 assists and 45.6 boards per game, which ranks 26th and 24th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans

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