Pelicans Grind Out 101-97 Win as DarkHorse Under Cashes Easy

New Orleans escaped Dallas with a 101-97 victory in a preseason slugfest that played out exactly as the sharps expected. The Pelicans and Mavericks combined for just 198 points, sailing comfortably under the 233.5 total and validating DarkHorse's published pick with room to spare.

This wasn't basketball poetry—it was exactly the rotation chaos we forecasted. Both squads leaned heavily on their bench mobs, and the offensive execution looked like guys meeting each other for the first time at a YMCA run. Dallas couldn't find rhythm without extended minutes from their stars, and New Orleans ground possessions into dust with deep rotation experimentation that killed any semblance of flow.

The 36.5-point margin under the closing number tells you everything: preseason totals remain a goldmine when the market overestimates offensive cohesion. Camp bodies don't run sets—they stand around and hope. The -129 juice on the under screamed that sharp money already knew what casual bettors didn't, and anyone who trusted the process got paid without sweating the final minutes.

Four-point margin, zero drama on the total. DarkHorse called it, the numbers backed it, and The Stable eats again. When the market hands you inflated preseason totals, you take them to the bank.