PREVIEW: The Dallas Mavericks (23-45) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (22-46) on Monday night at Smoothie King Center, with the Pelicans favored at 8.5 points. Dallas operates with a quick tempo and ranked fifth in midrange frequency, but their defensive profile reveals vulnerabilities, particularly allowing the 25th most rim-attacking opportunities. Fresh off an emphatic 130-120 win over Cleveland on Sunday, the Mavericks' three best players—Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, and P.J. Washington—combined for 72 points, with Flagg leading the charge with 27 points and 10 assists. Dallas finds itself at the tail end of a brutal scheduling stretch, playing nine games in 14 days and sitting 2-6 through eight contests while traveling over 2,000 miles. New Orleans counters with elite rim-attacking tendencies, ranking first league-wide in that category, yet their overall offensive profile shows concerning weaknesses including 29th-ranked three-point efficiency and 30th-ranked rim finishing. The Pelicans absorbed a tough 107-105 loss to Houston on Friday despite Dejounte Murray's dominant 35-point performance, with Zion Williamson adding 21 points on efficient shooting. New Orleans owns a four-game home winning streak and ranks fourth in offensive rebounding with 12.4 per contest, creating second-chance opportunities that could prove pivotal. With the Mavericks facing fatigue on the back-end of consecutive games while the Pelicans enjoy rest, home-court advantage looms large in what shapes up as a competitive matchup between two Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers.