Tip-off: Monday, 8:35 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

The struggling Mavericks host a Pelicans team that will be looking for its sixth straight victory Monday.

The Pelicans are playing some excellent basketball lately, beating the Nuggets 99-92 as 4.5-point road favorites Sunday for their fifth straight win SU and ATS. The team is playing very well offensively, shooting 48% or better from the field in four straight contests. The Mavericks, meanwhile, lost 104-94 as 8-point home favorites against the Nets on Saturday. They’ve lost two straight games both SU and ATS and their past seven games have gone Under the total. In three meetings between the teams this season, Dallas is 2-1 SU but just 1-2 ATS. The Mavericks have dominated the Pelicans when playing in Dallas though, going 25-4 SU and 18-10 ATS in American Airlines Center versus New Orleans since 1996. The Pelicans are 11-2 ATS when playing on back-to-back days and 9-1 ATS after playing a game as a road favorite this season. The Mavericks, however, are 47-26 ATS after failing to cover in two of their past three games over the past three seasons. New Orleans will be without PFs Ryan Anderson (Knee) and Anthony Davis (Shoulder) for the next two or so weeks, but PG Jrue Holiday (Leg) is out indefinitely. SF Chandler Parsons (Ankle) and C Tyson Chandler (Hip) are both questionable for the Mavericks.

Can the Pelicans win their sixth straight game when they face the Mavericks in Dallas Monday? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 55% ATS record (159-128-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, the experts have a huge 63% ATS (65-39) record since Feb. 1, led by StatFox Brian who has a stellar 71% ATS (15-6) mark in Best Bets during this timeframe, and is now 59% ATS (53-37) in season Best Bets. StatFox Scott is also sizzling with a 64% ATS record (32-18) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 57% ATS (51-39) for the season. StatFox Gary is also hot with a 58% ATS (25-18) mark in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 1, and is 56% ATS (50-40) this season. StatFox Zach is a robust 65% ATS (28-15) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 2, while StatFox Dave is a red-hot 63% ATS (15-9) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 28.

The Pelicans have won five straight games and they are playing well even without PF Anthony Davis (23.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.7 BPG) in the lineup. One guy who is really playing well with Davis out is C Omer Asik (7.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG). The big man has had to make up for the loss of his frontcourt partner’s rebounding and he has done just that, averaging 11.8 RPG over his past five contests. Asik has also averaged 11.0 PPG on an outstanding 69.0% FG in those contests. He’s averaging 9.7 PPG and 11.7 RPG in three games against Dallas this season and will need to be a huge presence on the glass in this game. SG Tyreke Evans (16.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.4 RPG, 1.2 SPG) has taken over the playmaking duties for this team with PG Jrue Holiday (15.2 PPG, 7.1 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG) out. Over the past five games, Evans is averaging 16.4 PPG, 9.4 APG, 4.2 RPG and 1.2 SPG. He is fantastic when driving to the rim and is doing a great job of finding his teammates when his shot isn’t there. He’ll need to use his size to bully a much smaller Mavericks frontcourt in this game. SG Eric Gordon (13.0 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.0 RPG) has stepped his game up over the course of the winning streak. Over the past five games, Gordon is averaging 16.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.2 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 37.0 MPG. The guard has been lousy against Dallas though, averaging just 4.5 PPG and 3.0 APG in 34.0 MPG in the two games the Pelicans have played against the Mavericks. He’ll need to be a lot better than that if New Orleans is going to beat Dallas without Anthony Davis. SF Quincy Pondexter (6.2 PPG) could be an x-factor in this game. Pondexter had just eight points against Denver on Sunday, but averaged 21.5 PPG in his previous two games. If he is knocking down his shots then he will make things a lot easier on his teammates.

The Mavericks have really struggled lately and they’ll desperately be trying to turn things around Monday against a Pelicans team that is playing very well recently. PG Rajon Rondo (8.6 PPG, 8.3 APG, 5.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG) came back from his suspension Saturday and had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes against the Nets. Rondo has been having an abysmal shooting season (41% FG, 32% 3PT, 31% FT) and if he does not turn things around drastically then it will be tough for the Mavericks to keep him on the floor. SG Monta Ellis (19.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.9 SPG) had just 12 points (4-for-16 FG) against the Nets and will need to find his stroke against New Orleans. He has been excellent against the Pelicans this season, averaging 26.3 PPG in 35.3 MPG in their three previous meetings. If he can keep up that offensive play against this team then they should have a great chance of winning this home game. PF Dirk Nowitzki (17.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG) finally snapped out of his shooting slump against Brooklyn, finishing with 20 points (8-for-14 FG, 2-for-5 3PT) and six rebounds in 31 minutes of action. He’s averaging 20.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in three meetings with the Pelicans this season and the Mavericks desperately need their superstar to put up some points on Monday. PF Amar’e Stoudemire (11.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG) will also need to be ready to play in this game. If SF Chandler Parsons (15.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG) and C Tyson Chandler (10.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG) are unable to go then the Mavericks will need production from somewhere else and Stoudemire could be one of the guys who steps up and contributes.