Dallas Mavericks Dominate Short-Handed Pelicans, 132-91

The Dallas Mavericks moved to 1-1 in NBA Cup Group Play with this dominant win

Nov 19, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) motions for the ball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks entered Tuesday night's game in the NBA Cup against the New Orleans Pelicans with two straight wins, and a good chance to make that three against a beaten and battered Pels team.

Luka Doncic returned to action on Tuesday and started alongside Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II. New Orleans was without Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Jordan Hawkins, and Jose Alvarado. Without those bodies, they started Javonte Green, Brandon Boston Jr., Trey Murphy III, Brandon Ingram, and Yves Missi.

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Dallas FINALLY got off to a good start in a game, taking a double-digit lead just five minutes into the first quarter. After Luka Doncic opened the game with two straight baskets, Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Kyrie Irving started going shot-for-shot to build on the Mavs' lead. Before the Pelicans could even blink, the Mavericks had put up 44 points in the first quarter, very easily their best opening quarter of the season.

And just leaving it at that doesn't do it justice. The Mavs shot 17/24 (70.8%) from the floor and 6/10 from three. We'd all been waiting to see the Mavs start the game with some energy and this was the first such opportunity, leading 44-29 heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter would still be all Dallas, as they'd extend the lead to 23 just four minutes into the quarter following a reverse lob finish for Dereck Lively II. New Orleans would hit a few shots to knock the lead down to 15 a few times as Javonte Green tried to keep the Pels in the game, but P.J. Washington was playing stellar defense and acting as a playmaker in the middle of the floor.

New Orleans was forced to play zone due to their depth issues, and with playmakers as talented as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, that didn't lead to much success other than slowing the game down a little. Thanks to a technical foul on Doncic and a late foul in transition on Irving, the Pelicans were able to chip a little further into the lead, with the Mavericks taking a 63-51 lead into halftime.

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The second half was more of the same for the Mavericks, as they started to put the hurt on the Pelicans. Kyrie Irving had a stretch toward the end of the third quarter where he simply couldn't miss from three. Dallas just continued to build on the lead, going up 28 following a transition layup by Grimes.

In the fourth quarter, Dallas was up so big that most of the starters were pulled early and let the guys at the end of the bench get some roll. With no one playing more than 30 minutes for the Mavericks, they went on to win 132-91. Point differential is important in the NBA Cup, so a 41-point win will mean a lot in the long run.

Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 26 points on 10/16 shooting, Klay Thompson had 19 points while having a big game from three, Kyrie Irving had 18 points and seven assists while shooting 4/5 from three, Naji Marshall had 15 points, Quentin Grimes had 12 points and eight rebounds, Daniel Gafford had 11 points and six rebounds, and Jaden Hardy had 11 points. It was just a solid all-around scoring game from everyone on the Mavs. This was the second straight game where the Mavs had seven players in double-figures, and this is their third straight win after losing four in a row.

Dallas shot 14/31 from three and 20/25 from the free-throw line, which was good to see them shoot the ball so well after struggling at certain points in the season.

Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 19 points and Brandon Ingram wasn't far behind with 17.

Dallas will travel back to Denver to play the Nuggets on Friday for their next game.

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