Luka Doncic Struggles in Dallas Mavs' Blowout Loss vs. New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans blew out the Mavs in the final matchup of a two-game mini-series, with Luka Doncic producing an uncharacteristic poor performance.

NEW ORLEANS — After achieving a convincing victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks were defeated 131-110 by them on Tuesday. After losing, the Mavs fell to 8-3 on the season, with a 1-2 record during NBA In-Season Tournament games.

"People don't understand it's 82 games in the NBA season," Doncic said. "Of course, there will be a bad night, you know? It's the NBA; you have another chance tomorrow."

With the Pelicans emphasizing full-court pressure on Luka Doncic and packing the paint by pre-rotation off of underwhelming shooting options, it was a real challenge for the Mavs to operate in the half-court offensively. Dallas frequently turned it over and struggled to get into the paint to make a play without overcompensating for it with perimeter shooting. 

"Yeah, I actually like it when they press me. You can see it in the first game," Doncic said. "Today, I wasn't very efficient. I just have to drive. I just have to attack when they pressure me. I kind of like when they pressure me, so I just have to go downhill."

The momentum didn't begin in the Pelicans' favor, though. The Mavs led by as many as five points for the early portion of the first quarter, but New Orleans didn't take long to take over. Going from a 7-2 lead at the 9:10 mark of the opening period, Dallas was outscored 31-19 for the remainder of the period, resulting in a 33-26 deficit. 

After only committing six turnovers as a team in Sunday's win over the Pelicans, the Mavs recorded a whopping seven in the first quarter alone, with Doncic accounting for six of them. New Orleans scored an incredible 30 fastbreak points in the opening half alone and allowed 16 points off turnovers.

“Yeah, it was a bad night all the way around. Our defense, our energy, and then the turnovers hurt us," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "It’s hard when you turn it over in transition; you give up that many fast break points. It’s hard to guard. Give New Orleans credit – they came out, and they played hard. 

"I thought we took their first punch there in the first. It was 30 to 26. They make a half-court shot," Kidd explained. "It is 33 to 26, and you know you’re in the game, and you didn’t play well in the first, but it was just a downhill effect from there.”

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic against the New Orleans Pelicans / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Mavs have been a dynamic second-half team this season but had an even more challenging time containing the Pelicans by allowing a game-high 44 points in the third quarter. Dallas produced its highest-scoring period (31 points), but a failure to get stops proved too much to overcome. 

"Turnovers. Turned over the ball too many times," Mavs wing Tim Hardaway Jr. said. "They got transition points, and that’s the difference right there. They didn’t do anything special. They had us turn the ball over, they capitalize on it, and they made their shots.”

Zion Williamson dunked the ball on consecutive possessions midway through the third quarter, giving the Pelicans a game-high 23-point lead. New Orleans continued to pour it on, leading the Mavs by a staggering 29-point margin at numerous points, including at the end of the third quarter.

“They came out with way more intensity. We expected that, and we didn’t respond," Mavs forward Grant Wiliams said. "You knew after a game like that, the team’s always going to respond in a tougher, more physical way. And they also played harder than us. They came out, and we gave up 30 fast break points in the first half. That’s got to be unacceptable for us. That’s one of those things where you have to look each other in the eye and challenge one another, and we didn’t do that tonight. 

"We just allowed it to keep happening, even at the start of the third, and that’s where you’re supposed to show that we fight through adversity, and we just didn’t do that this time,” Williams explained.

With Jaden Hardy, Seth Curry, Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Richaun Holmes on the court to begin the fourth quarter, the Mavs seemingly made a judgment call that throwing in the towel was the right move with another game to play in less than 24 hours. The Pelicans led by as many as 33 points at one point. 

"It happens over the course of the season, but you can’t let it be reoccurring," Williams said. "We’ve had two or three games – the three losses that we’ve had – that were uncharacteristic of us. We have a game where we don’t do our job and rebound in Denver. 

"The game that we lost in Toronto, they were more physical and out-toughed us, and this game, they played faster than us; they played with a little more edge," Williams explained. "As we know, that team’s very athletic, they do a great job of getting out in transition, it’s hard to beat when they do that. Keep them at half-court, and you might have a better chance, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

With this game being played in part of the NBA In-Season Tournament, the Pelicans' home floor was one of the colorful alternative courts the league wanted to use to differentiate the setting. While it wasn't just Doncic, he mentioned how the court had parts where the ball didn't bounce properly and the floor was slippery. 

"I mean, outside of all of the courts, I think the court today was really bad," Doncic said. "It was really slippery, and in some places, the ball didn't really bounce. If we're going to have these courts, we need to make sure that it's a stable court."

"It was a little slippery, especially the paint area," Doncic explained.

Doncic finished with only 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists while recording eight turnovers and shooting just 5-16 from the floor. Kyrie Irving recorded 17 points, two rebounds, and six assists on the night. The team did receive a standout performance from Hardaway, who had an efficient 17 points. 

There was no shortage of strong performers for the Pelicans. The rookie Jordan Hawkins made five 3s tied Brandon Ingram with a game-high 25 points while adding six rebounds and three assists. Ingram also chipped in nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. 

Herb Jones significantly impacted his return from injury after being sidelined for the previous matchup between these two teams, recording 19 points, four rebounds, four assists, five steals, and two blocks. He was a disruptive defensive presence for the Pelicans, who received praise from Docnic. 

“He’s just a great defender," Doncic said of Jones. "You could see his impact today because he wasn’t there the first game. I really admire that guy.”

Zion Williamson bounced back after his comments about struggling to buy into what the Pelicans want from him by having 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Naji Marshall had 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists, including a near full-court shot from the hash mark. Dyson Daniels contributed 10 points, two rebounds, six assists, and three steals while often picking up Doncic full-court on defense. 

The Mavs will complete their four-game road trip with matchups against the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks before returning to Dallas on the second night of a back-to-back for just one game against the Sacramento Kings before playing away again.

"Well, good and bad," Doncic said of the quick turnaround to the next game. "I don't like back-to-backs. It is what it is. But, it's good."