Dallas Basketball

Mavs vs. Pelicans GAMEDAY: Zion Williamson OUT; Will ‘Luka Magic’ Strike Again?

The Dallas Mavericks will take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Although the Mavs will have their star tandem of Luka Doncic and Christian Wood available, the Pelicans will be missing Zion Williamson due to a lower back injury.

Dalton Trigg

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The Dallas Mavericks (1-1) bounced back from their season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns (2-1) with a 41-point blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies (3-1) on Saturday night. Luka Doncic looks like he's already in midseason form, Christian Wood is thriving in his sixth-man role, and the Mavs' defense from last season appears to still be very much intact.

The Mavs will face another tough test on Tuesday night, as they take on the young-and-hungry New Orleans Pelicans (2-1) at Smoothie King Center. Well … maybe not as tough as we initially thought, as New Orleans announced on Tuesday it will be without star Zion Williamson and top defensive player Herb Jones. It had already been announced on Monday that Brandon Ingram will miss Tuesday's game as well.

Regardless, it's always fun when Doncic and the Mavs meet up with the Pelicans, and that trend could continue whether New Orleans is a full strength or not. Although the "Big Easy" is known for voodoo, it's "Luka Magic" that has possessed the city recently.

Here's everything you need to know before tonight's game.

WHAT TO WATCH: Can Doncic top his last performance at Smoothie King Center?

For whatever reasons, Doncic really enjoys playing against the Pelicans, whether they're at full strength or not. He has five career games against New Orleans where he's scored at least 33 points – including his most recent outing at Smoothie King Center on Feb. 17 when he put up 49 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in a thrilling 125-118 Mavs win.

There will be other intriguing aspects of this game to watch, including Christian going for his third consecutive game scoring at least 25 points off the bench ... but "Luka Magic" potentially taking over New Orleans yet again will be the biggest.

INJURY REPORT (DALLAS): Dāvis Bertans (right knee effusion) is OUT, Frank Ntilikina (right ankle effusion) is OUT, Tim Hardaway Jr. (right foot soreness) is doubtful.

INJURY REPORT (NEW ORLEANS): Brandon Ingram (concussion protocol) is OUT. Zion Williamson (right hip/low back contusion) and Herb Jones (right knee hyperextension) are OUT.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (1-1), New Orleans Pelicans (2-1)

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. CT

WHERE: Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA)

TV / RADIO: TNT, 97.1 The Eagle

ODDS: The Mavs are currently six-point favorites over the Pelicans. Click here for real-time betting odds updates.

NEXT UP: Dallas will now fly to Brooklyn to take on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Nets on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. CT (NBA TV). It will be the Mavs' fourth consecutive nationally televised game to start the season.

The last time these two teams met, Spencer Dinwiddie made his former team pay by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Mavs a thrilling 113-111 win. Dinwiddie finished with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Doncic led the way with 37 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one block.

FINAL WORD: “It’s only two games, but it’s great,” said coach Jason Kidd of his team's defensive performances.

"Hopefully we can finish up the season (second among fewest points allowed). ... There’s a lot of things that we’re happy about, but there’s a couple of things we’ve got to work on. But it’s a good start.”

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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