Late Surge Falls Short
The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 101-97 in a preseason game Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. New Orleans is 2-1 in the preseason, and Dallas is 1-2.
Moussa Cisse opened the scoring for Dallas with two free throws before Jeremiah Fears answered with a 25-foot 3-pointer assisted by Bennedict Mathurin.
The Pelicans led 24-18 after the first quarter, with Karlo Matkovic and Trey Murphy III among their scorers.
Second and Third Quarters
New Orleans won the second quarter 32-27 and led 56-45 at halftime. John Poulakidas and Seth Lundy hit 3-pointers for Dallas, and Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey scored inside for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans led 75-63 after three quarters. Tobi Lawal scored six points in the third quarter for Dallas and finished with 16, matching Poulakidas for the team lead. Derik Queen grabbed 11 rebounds for New Orleans.
Closing Moments
Dallas outscored New Orleans 34-26 in the fourth quarter. Sergio de Larrea, who finished with six assists, and Tarik Biberovic each hit 3-pointers as the Mavericks closed in. Jaron Pierre Jr. hit a 24-foot step-back 3-pointer and made late free throws for New Orleans.
A Lundy dunk cut the lead to 98-95 with 33 seconds left, but Pierre made two free throws and AJ Johnson added the final point with less than a second remaining. Fears led New Orleans with 16 points and five assists.
Sources
ESPN
