Dallas at New Orleans

The Mavs gave up a lot to get Jason Kidd. Will he pay off? We'll know come playoff time. For now, the Mavs have to face a stiff test in New Orleans. The Mavs are just 12-15 on the road this year (and 10-17 ATS) and they have lost their last three away from home. The Hornets are riding confidence thanks to their 17-8 home mark and 4-game winning streak. They will view this as a very important test and this arena should be rocking and the home players focused. It's a bigger game for New Orleans than for Dallas who has shown they really only care about the playoffs right now. Over the past two seasons, Dallas is 2-12 ATS vs. uptempo teams (those averaging 83+ shots per game). This season they are 1-10 ATS on the road vs. good free-throw shooting teams (those making 76%+). Hornets here.