Mavericks’ late rally falls short in 101-97 preseason loss to Pelicans

Dallas scored 34 points in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but the Pelicans held on for a 101-97 preseason win Wednesday at American Airlines Center. John Poulakidas and Tobi Lawal scored 16 points apiece for the Mavericks, who fell to 1-2 in exhibition play.

The late rally changed a game Dallas had spent largely chasing. New Orleans led 56-45 at halftime and 75-63 after three quarters. The Mavericks’ reserves brought the margin down to three with under nine seconds left, keeping the result open until the final possession.

Poulakidas made a short jumper with 8.9 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 100-97. After Jalon Moore missed two free throws, Sergio de Larrea secured the rebound and Dallas called timeout with five seconds left.

Seth Lundy’s attempted tying three did not go in. New Orleans successfully challenged the initial call on the play, and the final play-by-play recorded a missed 26-foot three with half a second remaining. AJ Johnson added one free throw with 0.4 seconds left for the final margin.

The NBA’s official game highlights show the Pelicans’ early advantage and Dallas’ attempt to pull the game back in the closing minutes.

Dallas shot 30-for-84 from the field and 10-for-49 from three-point range. The Mavericks committed 27 total turnovers, including team turnovers, making the fourth-quarter recovery more difficult after a long stretch of uneven offense.

Poulakidas supplied four of Dallas’ 10 made threes, finishing 5-for-9 overall and 4-for-8 from deep. Lawal made all eight of his free throws and went 4-for-6 from the floor. Lundy added 13 points, while de Larrea finished with 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 30 minutes.

The Mavericks’ own highlights feature the contributions from that group, which supplied much of the scoring during the home preseason opener.

Jeremiah Fears led New Orleans with 16 points and five assists, shooting 6-for-11 and making two of three three-point attempts. Karlo Matkovic added 11 points, including three threes. Zion Williamson scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field, though he missed all four free throws.

The Pelicans finished 34-for-75 from the floor and forced Dallas into repeated mistakes, but left points available at the foul line. New Orleans made 25 of 38 free throws, including the two late misses that gave the Mavericks their final opportunity.

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving did not play, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth’s postgame report. Dallas’ preseason finale is against Atlanta on Friday, followed by the regular-season opener at Houston on October 21. New Orleans improved to 2-1 in the preseason.

Sources

• NBA: Pelicans–Mavericks preseason highlights
• Dallas Mavericks: Pelicans game highlights
• ESPN: Pelicans–Mavericks final, box score and play-by-play
• NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth: Mavericks fall in home preseason opener
• Mavs Moneyball: Dallas’ comeback falls short
• New Orleans Pelicans: October 14 game highlights

Sources

ESPN: Pelicans–Mavericks final, box score and play-by-play · NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth: Mavericks fall in home preseason opener · Dallas’ comeback falls short · New Orleans Pelicans: October 14 game highlights