Game Preview: Mavericks v Pelicans

The Dallas Mavericks face the second night of a back-to-back, as they play host
to the New Orleans Pelicans, at American Airlines Center on Saturday evening.
The Mavs (22-35) fell 97-84 in Minnesota on Friday night, where their bench was
very quiet, adding only 13 points on combined 5-17 shooting. Harrison Barnes
finished with 20 points, while Seth Curry took advantage of some new space now
that Deron Williams is out of the picture, and poured in a team-high 31 points
on 13-of-17 shooting. Their newest acquisition, Nerlens Noel did not suit up on
Friday but will likely be ready to make his debut on Saturday. The Mavs sit 13th
in the West, 3.5 games behind the eighth-place Nuggets. They are 5-5 in their
last 10 games, but have lost three straight. Meanwhile, the new-look Pelicans
(23-35) fell in their first game back after the break, as they were blown out by
the Rockets 129-99, on Thursday at home. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis were
the only two players to score in double digits for New Orleans, other than Omri
Casspi, who chipped in 12 points off the bench. Cousins finished with 27, while
Davis led the way with 29 points in the loss. Unfortunately, Casspi suffered a
broken thumb in the contest and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Due to
the injury, the Pelicans subsequently waived Casspi, in order to sign Reggie
Williams. The Pelicans sit 11th in the West, three games behind the eighth-place
Nuggets and only 0.5 games ahead of the Mavericks.