The showdown between two of the NBA’s statistically worse teams went down to the wire in Dallas Friday night, with the Mavericks defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 118-115 in an NBA-cup tournament game.
With tonight’s victory, the Mavericks rose to 5-12 and sunk the Pelicans to 2-14 on the year. Given that one of New Orleans’ prior two victories came at the expense of Dallas, tonight’s victory against the Pelicans carried some redemptive value for a Maverick team hoping to turn their season around.
How the Game was Won
With 1:53 left in the fourth, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson not only finished through contact with a tough contested layup, he also hit the and-one free throw to turn a one point deficit into a two point lead. Moments later, he picked the pocket of Naji Marshall, drove to the basket and got fouled before hitting both free throws. In a matter of seconds, a one point Maverick lead late in the fourth became a three point deficit with just over 90 seconds left.
Luckily for the Mavs, Naji Marshall found a bit of redemption a few moments later when he hit what would become the go-ahead three with 32 seconds left. Naji finished with nine points to go with some stellar defense and even more stellar antagonism of Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears.
Standout Performances
Rookie forward Cooper Flagg had yet another strong game in what appears to be a stellar rookie season. Flagg scored a game-high 29 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Cooper also tallied seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and only two turnovers in a game where he matchup against two of his former high school teammates. Most importantly, Cooper demonstrated a bit of a clutch gene – leading the team back from a fourth quarter deficit to take the victory.
P.J. Washington also filled up the box score. Washington finished the game with nine boards, three blocks, a steal to go along with 24 points – including a thunderous posterizing dunk over Yves Messi in the third. Considering that New Orleans had a strong lead for most of the first half, including a 15 point lead, P.J.’s third quarter contributions kept the Mavericks in it.
And a special shoutout should go to Brandon Williams. With tonight’s 11 assists, Williams reached his highest assist total since the 2021 season. He led the game in dimes tonight, demonstrating continued growth as a floor general.
Some Thoughts on the Pelicans
On the New Orleans side, the combined efforts of Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III just wasn’t enough to pull out the victory. Murphy tallied 25 points and was a perfect ten-for-ten from the free throw line. Zion also put in 22 points and also lived at the free throw line. As a team, New Orleans scored over half of their points in the paint, illustrating a particular weakness that the Mavericks must address moving forward.
