Pelicans Fall to Mavericks

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The New Orleans Pelicans fell short to the Dallas Mavericks for the third time this season, losing 111-103 at American Airlines Center. Zion Williamson finished with 29 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 35-point, 4 assist night from Mavs’ guard Kyrie Irving. The Pelicans trailed 86-82 after three quarters, but got outscored 8-2 to start the fourth, which ultimately led to their demise.

The Pelicans cut the deficit to 103-99 on a CJ McCollum 3-pointer, but former Pelican Naji Marshall answered with a trey to stretch the Dallas lead back to seven. Marshall finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds against his former team. The Pelicans (13-43) dropped three of the four games they played against the Southwest division foe Mavs (31-26) this season. The first one was a 132-91 loss in November, the Pels’ worst loss of the season.

Pelicans center Kelly Olynyk, acquired two weeks ago in the Brandon Ingram trade, made his debut and was in the starting lineup with CJ McCollum, Murphy, Williamson, and Yves Missi. It was the 31st different starting lineup Green has used this season. Olynyk finished with four points, three rebounds, and three assists. The Mavericks were missing all four centers on their roster: Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively, and Dwight Powell. The Pelicans took advantage of it, outscoring the Mavs 56-36 in the paint, with paint production being a key factor. However, the Pelicans made just 8 of 27 3-pointers, while the Mavs doubled that, making 16 of 44, showcasing their shooting prowess.

Murphy finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists. McCollum, who scored 43 points in the win over Sacramento before the All-Star Break, had 16 points. The Pelicans will host the San Antonio Spurs Sunday at 6 p.m. The team's performance was marked by a lack of consistency in their scoring, which ultimately led to their loss. Here are the match scores:

• Pelicans: 103
• Mavericks: 111

The Pelicans' player statistics were as follows:

• Zion Williamson: 29 points, 7 rebounds
• CJ McCollum: 16 points
• Murphy: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

The Pelicans' schedule for the remainder of the season includes six divisional contests, with three games against the San Antonio Spurs, two against the Houston Rockets, and one against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team will look to improve their performance and gain more wins in the upcoming games. The current team rankings are:

1. Mavericks: 31-26
2. Pelicans: 13-43

pelican maverick zion williamson point 103 rebound assist mccollum olynyk