Pelicans at Mavericks
Dallas has plenty of weapons in its league-leading offensive unit, but not everyone has been on the same page lately. The Mavericks will try to spread the wealth and get back to their winning ways when they host New Orleans on Wednesday night. Dallas has dropped two of its last three following a five-game winning streak, with several of its key players riding a roller coaster on the offensive side.
Chandler Parsons has caught fire, posting a season-high 30 points in Tuesday's 114-105 loss at Memphis, while leading scorers Monta Ellis (33, 19 and two points in his last three games) and Dirk Nowitzki (10, 21 and 11) have struggled to find consistency. Tyreke Evans scored 27 points to lead New Orleans to a 104-93 win over New York on Tuesday, which gave the Pelicans their first set of consecutive wins since Nov. 12 and 14. Parsons led six players in double figures with 20 points as Dallas topped New Orleans 109-104 in the first meeting Nov. 1.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, SportSouth (New Orleans) FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (10-10): New Orleans has been dominant on the boards during its two-game surge, outrebounding opponents 93-64, with center Omer Asik doing the bulk of the work. Asik is averaging 12.5 boards in five December games after hauling in 14 against the Knicks while posting a season-high 16 points. Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 boards in the loss to Dallas last month.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (16-7): Dallas scored 62 points in the first half Tuesday against the league's top scoring defense, but had only 43 after the break. That is in line with a season-long trend for the NBA's top offensive attack, as the Mavericks lead all teams in first-half scoring but drop to 14th in the third quarter. It is the one period in which Dallas has been outscored for the season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nowitzki is 19-for-64 from the floor during the Mavericks' last four losses.
2. Pelicans F Luke Babbitt has made 11-of-21 3-pointers since being inserted into the starting lineup Dec. 2.
3. Mavericks C Tyson Chandler is averaging 3.5 points and eight rebounds in his last two games after producing 14.3 points and 16.7 boards over his previous six contests.