Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks will take on the New Orleans Pelicans tonight. As we all know, the Mavericks added Irving to the roster in a sudden trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Currently sitting in 5th place in the Western Conference, the Mavs hold a record of 34 wins and 32 losses.
They will be playing against the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that has been struggling to remain competitive and has a record of 31 wins and 34 losses. Injuries have plagued the team as their star Zion Williamson has been sidelined for a while now.
Not having Williamson has undoubtedly hurt the Pelicans’ standing. However, health is an issue that will hamper even Irving and the Mavericks. That said, let us find out the injury reports and expected rosters for this game. Additionally, fans must also be interested in knowing the expert predicitions for this matchup.
Kyrie Irving is expected to play in the Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans game tonight
Thankfully for Mavericks fans, Irving looks healthy and good to go tonight against the Pelicans. Even with Luka Doncic on the court, his team will still need him in order to win this game. After all, Kyrie is a sensationally talented offensive player and drastically boosts his team’s scoring ability.
Although Kyrie and Luka will be considered one of the best duos in the NBA, that does not mean they are undefeatable. In fact, they are coming off a loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs will look to shake off their loss against the Pelicans. Here are the injury reports and expected rosters for both sides.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- JaVale McGee (questionable)
- Reggie Bullock (questionable)
Dallas Mavericks expected roster
- Kyrie Irving
- Luka Doncic
- Tim Hardaway Jr
- Josh Green
- Christian Wood
New Orleans Pelicans injury report
- Zion Williamson (out)
- Jose Alvarado (out)
- Larry Nance Jr (out)
- EJ Liddell (out)
New Orleans Pelicans expected roster
- CJ McCollum
- Herb Jones
- Trey Murphy III
- Brandon Ingram
- Jonas Valančiūnas
As we can tell from the injury report, several key starters for the Pelicans like Zion Williamson, Jose Alvarado, and Larry Nance Jr will not be playing. On the other hand, the Mavs will be missing JaVale McGee and Reggie Bullock. Finally, here are the expert predictions for this game.
The Mavericks are favored over the Pelicans tonight
Although the New Orleans Pelicans have been hanging in there with Zion, they will simply not be favored over the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Not only are there several injuries to the team, but it also has a worse record and will struggle to keep up with Kyrie and Luka.
While it is certainly possible for Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to make this a close game. They are not considered to be on the same tier as Kyrie and Luka. Especially without Zion on the court to help them out. Therefore, the Pelicans will be the underdogs for this match.
