Luka Doncic's Mavs Take Care of Shorthanded Pelicans

Powered by a 34-point triple-double from Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

The Dallas Mavericks (23-17) took on the New Orleans Pelicans (24-16) to begin a back-to-back. Luka Doncic and the Mavs took care of business, achieving a 127-117 win. 

Using a 19-point scoring differential in the first quarter, the Mavs managed to control the game's momentum early. The Pelicans outscored Dallas by just two points in the second period, resulting in a 63-46 halftime lead for the Mavs. 

The Pelicans had managed to rally back within 11 points midway through the third quarter, but the Mavs tightened things up to prevent a serious comeback effort. 

The lack of available offensive talent for the Pelicans was evident with Zion Williamson, C.J. McCollum, and Brandon Ingram each sidelined. However, New Orleans' deployment of drop coverage as a base defense proved limiting against a Doncic-led attack. 

The scoring punch provided by Luka Doncic and Christian Wood proved too much for the Pelicans to overcome. Doncic finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for his eighth 30-point triple-double of the season. Despite foul trouble, Wood totaled 28 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in 24 minutes with four makes from 3-point range.

"[Wood] was great, he just got in foul trouble," said coach Jason Kidd. "Unfortunately, the game was called that way tonight. But I thought again, with the foul trouble, he stayed in the game. He was over there cheering his teammates on, and he was talking. I thought he was a positive - even when he wasn't on the floor he was trying to help his teammates."

Jaden Hardy made the most of his opportunities by reaching the 15-point threshold in consecutive games. He did a lot of damage in the paint by being aggressive on drives in transition and by attacking closeouts. However, he had an isolation bucket against Herb Jones that required playing through contact.

"Every part [of his game has grown]," said Kidd of Hardy's development. "He's improved in every area. He's worked extremely hard. He's learning what it means to be a pro. You can see the product on the floor in the sense that he's not scared. He's a young man surrounded by a megastar, and he feels like he fits right in. That's kind of cool."

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie were among Mavs players to reach double-figures. Hardaway totaled 18 points with four made 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Dinwiddie had 12 points and four assists on the night. 

The Mavs are back in action on Sunday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. 

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