Dallas Mavs vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview: A Rare Duel Between Luka Doncic & Zion Williamson

After starting the season 7-2, the Dallas Mavericks will try to keep their positive momentum going when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night to start a four-game road trip.

NEW ORLEANS – As the Dallas Mavericks prepare to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night at Smoothie King Center, we are set to see something we have only seen a few times over the last four years: Luka Doncic vs. Zion Williamson.

So far throughout the stars' young careers, Williamson just hasn't been able to stay healthy for most of the Pelicans' matchups with the Mavs, but for the first time since Feb. 12, 2021, we get to witness their third head-to-head. Doncic holds a 2-0 record over Williamson, averaging 38.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.0 assists in those games.

Coming off a 144-126 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, the Mavs are the second-best team in the Western Conference at 7-2, and Doncic is on pace to be a serious contender to win his first league MVP award, as he's averaging a league-leading 32.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists while shooting 51.8 percent overall and 41.5 percent from deep.

Luka Doncic joined LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the only players to notch at least 31 40-point games before turning 25 years old / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Pelicans, on the other hand, despite having Williamson and Brandon Ingram available for this game, have struggled to stay healthy overall. New Orleans is 4-5 after falling to the streaking Houston Rockets, 104-101, on Friday. The Pelicans will be without several key players when they take on the Mavs, including CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III. Defensive specialist Herbert Jones is also listed as being questionable for tonight's game.

As the Mavs begin their four-game road trip, Doncic and co-star Kyrie Irving will look to keep their positive momentum going, as they're coming off a game where they scored a combined 71 points. Williamson and Ingram make for an extremely talented duo, but if Doncic and Irving are clicking, it's hard to see the Pelicans coming away with the win on Sunday.

Friday's win over the Clippers was the Mavs' first win of the season that wasn't considered a clutch win, and they'll look to continue piling up points in New Orleans while having a star duo advantage, as well a health advantage. Dallas comes into this game with the second-best offense in the league, behind only the Indiana Pacers, while the Pelicans have the third-worst offense. With both teams not having great defenses, we expect this one to be yet another high-scoring affair. We'll see if New Orleans can keep up with Dallas' high-octane offense for four quarters.

Here's everything else you need to know about the game:

Mavericks vs. Pelicans Injury Report: Mavericks: Maxi Kleber (toe) is OUT. Pelicans: Jose Alvarado (ankle) is OUT. CJ McCollum (lung) is OUT. Trey Murphy III (knee) is OUT. Herbert Jones (fibula) is QUESTIONABLE

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (7-2), New Orleans Pelicans (4-5)

WHERE: Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA)

WHEN: Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. CT

TV: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League Pass | RADIO: 97.1 The Freak

ODDS: Mavericks -2.5 | OVER/UNDER: 233.5

MAVS STEP BACK:

NEXT UP: The Mavs won't go anywhere, as they'll take on the Pelicans for a second consecutive time on Tuesday at Smoothie King Center. This time, though, it will be an In-Season Tournament game ... and if you haven't seen the Pelicans' new court yet, you might want to have some sun shades handy when you watch that one.

FINAL WORD: “To be honest with you, this is probably my lack of awareness showing right now, but even in that shootaround I didn't know it was an In-Season Tournament game cause I was so used to seeing the court be split in three," Irving said after the Mavs' win over the Clippers.

"The excitement, I didn't feel it rising, but coming into the game it did feel like an In-Season Tournament game and it did something and you could tell the Clippers knew what was at stake. We knew what was at stake, and it just felt good to get this win and put ourselves in a position for when Houston comes here and also when we play New Orleans. I’m excited about those challenges, and I think that's probably what the NBA wants is for us to be locked into what that tournament means for us personally and as a team, then going out and executing.”