Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans Recap and Game Summary

Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans Recap and Game Summary

Dallas Mavericks are on their way to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans. Here is all the information you need about this matchup, including the latest starting lineups and injury updates.

CJ McCollum had an outstanding game, scoring 32 points to help the Pelicans defeat the Mavericks 113-106 on Wednesday night. Irving also contributed with a career high 27 points.

First Quarter

Dallas Mavericks made a strong start in the first quarter of their game against New Orleans Pelicans, with Luka Doncic and Brandon Ingram emerging as the top players for both teams. Both players made impressive plays to secure their teams' victories early in the period.

Ingram opened the first quarter with a dunk to give his team the lead, and Doncic responded with a three-pointer that tied the score at 24 each. This was an incredibly impressive display from both players, demonstrating just how much each one can accomplish when at their best.

Doncic finished the first quarter with his 15th technical foul of this season and made an excellent play to block Trey Murphy's attempted 3-pointer. This was a wise decision that helped his team get off to a good start and something the Mavericks needed to work on as they continued losing games this season.

The Mavericks went on a remarkable 12-0 run, led by Davis Bertans, Kyrie Irving and Christian Wood, to cut the lead to five points with four minutes left in the third quarter. However, CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 32 points during the fourth quarter to help his team come back and secure an exciting 113-106 victory.

This was an intense game between two powerful teams as they competed for control of the Western Conference. The Mavericks are currently in a precarious spot in the standings and must win this game to keep making progress.

Thankfully, they did. Thanks to their remarkable effort, the Cardinals remain in first place in the West with a record of 34-33.

On Wednesday night, the Mavericks have a big challenge ahead of them when they travel to New Orleans to face off against the Pelicans. Both teams are playing hard and this should be an exciting matchup to watch. Unfortunately for New Orleans, some key pieces like Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are out due to injuries; hopefully these players can overcome these setbacks and secure victory against Dallas.

Second Quarter

In the first quarter, the Pelicans went on a tear and led by 18 points at halftime. That was thanks to CJ McCollum and Jaxson Hayes combining for eight of New Orleans' initial nine points. Naji Marshall followed that up with his banked 3 and Herb Jones added another 3-point play, giving New Orleans a commanding 59-43 advantage going into the break.

On the other end, the Mavericks began to make a comeback, cutting the Pelicans' lead down to three points with four minutes left in the third quarter. Davis Bertans (four points) and Christian Wood added four more points for Dallas, and Kyrie Irving added another 3-pointer for an even 97-94 score with 4:12 remaining in regulation time.

Luka Doncic, Dallas' leading scorer, was forced from the game due to a left thigh strain. On Thursday, Doncic said he'd receive an MRI to learn more about his injury.

Meanwhile, New Orleans' leading scorer Zion Williamson remains sidelined due to a hamstring strain. After being reevaluated, the team expects him to miss at least two more weeks.

That has been a setback for the Pelicans, who are trying to stay ahead of Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoff race. However, they remain optimistic that Williamson can return before season's end.

In the opening minutes of the second quarter, both of New Orleans' top scorers suffered injuries. Ingram left with a sprained right ankle and Doncic followed with an injured left thigh.

At 113-106, New Orleans took control of the game with 13 points from CJ McCollum in the fourth quarter alone - including a 14-foot pull-up, left-sideline 3 and floating bank shot - as they avoided a late collapse and held off Dallas Mavericks.

Third Quarter

In their season's closing stages, both teams find themselves in precarious spots. With the Mavericks currently in seventh place and the Pelicans having 12 wins out of a possible 31 games, both squads are close to each other in standings.

The Pelicans are currently facing a difficult stretch, having lost six games in seven. As they head into this matchup, they need a victory to turn things around. Their first half started slowly and they found themselves down by as many as 19 points during the third quarter; however, they got back on track late in that frame to take an 18-point lead into the fourth.

CJ McCollum is on fire in the fourth, giving the Pelicans a commanding 24-point lead. He's hitting big shot after big shot to make it 32 points for the night.

Luka Doncic has left this game early due to an injury to his left thigh that occurred in the first quarter. He will undergo an MRI test to assess its severity, but is uncertain when he might return. Nonetheless, he hopes it'll be soon.

Ingram is also out of this game due to a sprained ankle that prevents him from playing in it. Although his ankle remains swollen, he will play tomorrow against the Memphis Grizzlies.

On Thursday, his condition will be reevaluated and the team remains optimistic that he can return before the season concludes.

Doncic, who scored 53 points in the Mavericks' 113-106 loss to New Orleans, became the fifth Dallas player to score at least 50 points this season and set a franchise record for most points scored in an official regulation-length game. He overtook Dirk Nowitzki and Kyrie Irving's previous records of 53 and 40 respectively.

The Mavericks put up a valiant effort in this game, but it wasn't enough. Now one win away from missing the playoffs, they need to improve if they want to secure a postseason spot in the NBA.

Fourth Quarter

On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks suffered their second loss of a back-to-back to the New Orleans Pelicans with a score of 113-106. Despite starting strong in the first quarter, they could not sustain their lead; falling behind by as many as 19 points early in the third quarter and never recovering from that deficit.

Luka Doncic was unable to play in the fourth quarter due to a persistent left thigh injury that has been bothering him for weeks. Fortunately, an MRI will be conducted on Thursday so we can determine how serious this injury really is.

He noted that it is not a serious injury, but it has been making him uncomfortable. Hopefully he'll be able to return to the floor in time for their next game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

In the fourth quarter, Dallas found their offensive groove again. They shot 10-of-18 from beyond the arc to finish with Irving, Davis Bertans and rookie Jaden Hardy all making two threes during that final frame.

CJ McCollum had an incredible fourth quarter for the Pelicans, scoring 16 of his 32 points to help his team secure a victory over the Mavericks.

This was a game where both teams were playing for pride and to maintain their position in the Western Conference standings. The Pelicans are currently ninth with 31 wins and 34 points, while the Mavericks are one win away from making it to the NBA final rounds.

The Mavericks made a strong case for victory in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short against the New Orleans Pelicans. Down by as much as 19 points in the third quarter, Dallas could not overcome that deficit and ultimately fell short.

However, the Mavericks found a way to come back in the game in the fourth quarter with an 12-0 run that started with Davis Bertans' 3-pointer and Kyrie Irving's basket. Though they cut their deficit down to eight points early in the fourth, the Pelicans responded and never let up, going on an 9-0 run to take a 98-83 lead late in regulation; however, it proved too little too late as Mavericks couldn't seal it off.