On the verge of completing what would’ve been an exceptionally successful five-game road trip, New Orleans couldn’t hold on to a double-digit lead in Monday’s fourth quarter, losing in the latter contest of a “baseball series” against Dallas. The Mavericks used a 33-21 advantage in the final period to complete their late-game comeback. The Pelicans wrapped up their longest trek of the regular season at 3-2, posting victories at Sacramento, Golden State and Dallas (in the previous meeting on Saturday). New Orleans had a chance to tie in the final 20 seconds Monday, but Zion Williamson split a pair of free throws after Dallas fouled him. The Mavericks sealed the outcome on Maxi Kleber foul shots with 1.6 seconds remaining.
THREE POINTS
Missed opportunities.
It was bound to happen at some stage, but New Orleans came back down to earth a bit from three-point range Monday, shooting just 7/23 (30 percent), which was also much lower volume in attempts compared to recent outings. The Pelicans also had a so-so game at the foul line, going 31/41 (76 percent), but that was slightly misleading because four of the 10 misses came in the fourth quarter, including when they were trying to add to a multi-possession lead.
A sluggish start.
Although New Orleans dominated the middle quarters, particularly offensively by scoring 82 points, CJ McCollum (23 points, 9/17 shooting) noted that the Pelicans’ first quarter was costly, putting the visitors in an uphill climb. New Orleans only scored three baskets over the first 12 minutes, falling behind 33-17. “They played inside-out, got paint touches, got a little bit of everything,” McCollum described of the early Mavericks surge. Dallas received monstrous days from starting guards Kyrie Irving (42 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (41), who carried the home team nearly all game, prior to role players Josh Green and Grant Williams sinking back-breaking clutch-time jumpers.
Halftime.
At the official midway point of the regular season, New Orleans has its second-best record through 41 games as the rebranded Pelicans (beginning in 2013-14). The best mark? Last season, at 25-16. The good news halfway through 2023-24 is that New Orleans has been one of the NBA’s best teams since the In-Season Tournament, also going 20-11 following an injury-impacted 4-6 start. The downside is that nearly every recent loss has occurred during clutch time, an issue the Pelicans must improve upon over the final 41 games to maximize their position in the Western Conference standings.
BY THE NUMBERS
13-8: Dallas advantage in offensive rebounding. Dereck Lively grabbed seven for the Mavericks, including a few critical boards in the fourth quarter to keep possessions alive.
39-19: New Orleans edge in bench scoring, with Larry Nance Jr. and Trey Murphy contributing 14 points apiece for the Pelicans. Jordan Hawkins added nine points, going 3/4 from the field, with the Mavericks devoting significant attention to him after his Saturday breakout game.
#PELSPOTWPOLL
New Orleans posted a 2-1 record in Week 12, including a blowout win at Golden State and a shorthanded victory in Dallas (in between, a loss at Denver). Hawkins’ career-best 34-point Saturday against the Mavericks and red-hot shooting in general helped vault him to Player of the Week status by fan vote, receiving 45 percent of ballots on X, just surpassing Jonas Valanciunas (42 percent). As @NOLAPels88 wrote of the week’s runner-up, “Jonas has continuously been the anchor that keeps this team together. Always on the court and does the job he’s asked to do no matter who’s on the court with him.” Previous winners: Week 1: Zion Williamson; Week 2: CJ McCollum; Week 3: None; Week 4: Herb Jones; Week 5: Brandon Ingram; Week 6: Zion Williamson; Week 7: None; Week 8: Jonas Valanciunas; Week 9: None; Week 10: Brandon Ingram; Week 11: CJ McCollum.