Kyrie Irving scored 42 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. made nine 3-pointers and scored 41 and the short-handed Dallas Mavericks defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 125-120 on Monday afternoon.
Josh Green scored 13 points and Dereck Lively II had 12 rebounds for the Mavericks, who played without Luka Doncic (ankle), Dante Exum (plantar fascia) and Derrick Jones Jr. (calf) but managed to outscore New Orleans 33-21 in the fourth quarter.
Zion Williamson scored 30 points to lead the Pelicans. CJ McCollum had 23, Trey Murphy III and Larry Nance Jr. scored 14 apiece, Brandon Ingram scored 12 and Herbert Jones added 10.
The score was tied four times and the lead changed hands three times in the third quarter before four Pelicans scored during a 9-0 run that gave New Orleans a 90-82 lead.
Irving made 1 of 2 free throws and Grant Williams’ layup ended a field-goal drought of nearly three minutes for the Mavericks, but New Orleans held a 99-92 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Dallas closed within four early in the fourth quarter, but consecutive jumpers by McCollum gave the Pelicans a 111-104 lead midway through the period.
But Hardaway made two 3-pointers, Williams made one and the Mavericks surged ahead 115-111.
New Orleans got within two points before Green’s 3-pointer later pushed the lead to six with 1:27 left.
The Pelicans missed an opportunity to tie the game when Williamson made 1 of 2 free throws, leaving Dallas with a 121-120 lead with 17.7 seconds left. Ingram missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left.
Lively and Irving scored four points apiece during a 12-0 run that gave the Mavericks a 16-5 lead.
Hardaway’s 3-pointer left the Mavericks with a 33-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
McCollum and Williamson each scored seven points as the Pelicans began the second quarter with a 19-2 run that produced a 36-35 lead.
The lead continued to change hands before Ingram’s layup produced a 59-all halftime tie.
–Field Level Media
