3 takeaways from Mavericks' tight win over Pelicans

Dallas started their road trip off with a big win.
Jan 29, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) controls the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Boston (11) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) controls the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Boston (11) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks tipped off a five-game road trip with a 137-136 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, avenging their loss in this building a few weeks ago. Four players from each team scored at least 20 points, and both teams shot above 45% from three, but the Mavericks made five more three-pointers, one of the bigger differences from the game.

This was a back-and-forth affair that saw 17 lead changes and 10 ties, with neither team taking a lead of larger than eight points until Dallas went up by 10 midway through the fourth quarter. The Mavs needed this win to stay afloat until Luka Doncic returns, while New Orleans will have to keep trying to climb out of the cellar of the Western Conference. They're clearly talented, but injuries have been a big blow to his team.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's win.

READ MORE: Mavericks start road trip with close win over Pelicans, 137-136

1. Too Many Turnovers

Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans
Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Despite the win, Dallas turned it over way too many times, finishing with 18 turnovers, while New Orleans had just eight. Six different Mavericks had at least two turnovers, including every starter, led by P.J. Washington with five. Obviously, they're playing without their leading ball-handler in Luka Doncic, but turnovers have cost this team in recent games. They were lucky to get out of this game with a win even with all of the turnovers.

2. Second-Chance Domination

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford shoots against New Orleans Pelicans center Daniel Theis
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford shoots against New Orleans Pelicans center Daniel Theis during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Outside of hitting five more three-pointers than the Pelicans, the other big reason Dallas won this game was second-chance points. The Mavericks came down with 16 offensive rebounds for an offensive rebounding rate of 36.4%, and turned those into 32 second-chance points. That's a guaranteed two points for every board, an impressive number. Meanwhile, New Orleans turned their 10 offensive rebounds into just 13 points. Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, and oddly Kyrie Irving were huge on the glass for Dallas in this game.

3. P.J. Washington's Emergence

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington shoots against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi and guard CJ McCollum
Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington shoots against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi and guard CJ McCollum Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

P.J. Washington was a key piece in last year's run to the NBA Finals, doing all of the little things necessary as a role player. But with so many injuries to the roster, Washington has had to step up, and he's done that in a big way. In his last five games, he's averaging 22.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 3.8 APG while shooting 48.2% from the floor and 37.5% from three. That's up from the 14.2 PPG he's been averaging for the season. If Dallas is going to have a strong close to the season once Doncic (and others) are healthy, Washington will be a big piece of that.

READ MORE: NBA insider believes Mavericks could trade first-round pick before deadline

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG