Valanciunas, Pelicans take on the Mavericks
New Orleans Pelicans (24-16, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (23-17, seventh in the Western Conference)
Dallas; Monday, 2:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Jonas Valanciunas and the New Orleans Pelicans visit Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks in Western Conference play.
The Mavericks are 6-5 against Southwest Division opponents. Dallas averages 118.5 points and has outscored opponents by 1.4 points per game.
The Pelicans are 17-14 in Western Conference play. New Orleans ranks fourth in the Western Conference with 44.3 rebounds per game led by Valanciunas averaging 9.9.
The 118.5 points per game the Mavericks score are 6.8 more points than the Pelicans give up (111.7). The Pelicans are shooting 48.7% from the field, 0.8% higher than the 47.9% the Mavericks' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Pelicans won the last matchup 118-108 on Jan. 14. Jordan Hawkins scored 34 points to help lead the Pelicans to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tim Hardaway Jr. is shooting 41.9% and averaging 17.6 points for the Mavericks. Irving is averaging 21.2 points over the last 10 games for Dallas.
Valanciunas is scoring 14.4 points per game with 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Pelicans. Herbert Jones is averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 49.4% over the past 10 games for New Orleans.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 5-5, averaging 116.1 points, 40.4 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 8.3 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.0 points per game.
Pelicans: 7-3, averaging 118.5 points, 44.2 rebounds, 28.4 assists, 8.6 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.0 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out (ankle), Luka Doncic: out (ankle), Dante Exum: out (heel).
Pelicans: CJ McCollum: out (ankle), Trey Murphy III: out (knee), Zion Williamson: out (rest), Brandon Ingram: out (achilles), Matt Ryan: out (calf).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.