Will New Orleans’ tough travel schedule offset Mavs’ loss of Luka?

Having seen how tough it is when the NBA travel gods work against you, the Mavericks in theory will be on the good side of a challenging moment in the schedule.

In theory.

The New Orleans Pelicans visit American Airlines Center on Saturday for the first of two games. They were in Denver on Friday night for a 125-113 loss, after which they didn’t arrive into Dallas until the middle of the night. It was roughly 3 a.m. when they got to their Dallas hotel.

Time change and the late tipoff in Denver for national television conspired against the Pelicans.

The Mavericks are well-versed in how difficult it is to travel against the time zones and play the second night of back-to-back games on short rest. They do it quite often. But other teams do too during a long season.

This is New Orleans’ time.

The Mavericks hope to use it to their advantage.

However, there are complications, primarily on the health front.

The Mavericks will be without Luka Dončić for a second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle.

Even with the Pelicans fighting fatigue, the Mavericks won’t have it easy as they try to build on their impressive Thursday win against the New York Knicks.

But there is good news on the injury front.

While Dante Exum (right plantar sprain) is out, Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber both have been upgraded to questionable.

Lively has been out with a sprained left ankle and Kleber has missed two months with a right small toe dislocation.

And, it wouldn’t be a Mavericks’ injury report without somebody new on it.

Josh Green (non-COVID illness) is listed as questionable.

By the way, Luka’s injury means it’s another meeting between the Pelicans and Mavericks in which Zion Williamson and Dončić won’t be playing against each other. It’s only happened twice in the six years Luka has been in the league. (out of a possible 23 chances).

• The Mavs and Pelicans have been neck-and-neck for much of the season for the Southwest Division lead with nobody else particularly close.
• The Pelicans were whipped by a Nikola Jokic triple-double on Friday as they fell behind by 20 points early in the third quarter and never recovered. Zion Williamson had 30 points and is averaging 22 for the season. Most importantly, the oft-injured big man has played in 32 of the Pelicans’ 39 games.
• New Orleans is seventh in the NBA in overall defensive rating and third in forcing steals.
• The Pelicans are in the midst of a daunting trip. They lost Friday night at Denver after winning games at Sacramento and Golden State. Saturday will be the first of two games here that will finish off New Orleans’ five-game trip and the Mavericks’ seven-game home stand. The Pelicans had won six of seven before the loss at Denver.
• Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. both had six three-pointers against the Knicks, just the second time this season the Mavericks have had two players with six or more triples.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (23-16) at MAVERICKS (23-16)

• When/where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, American Airlines Center, Dallas.
• TV: Bally’s Sports Southwest.
• Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko