DALLAS — Jeremiah Fears brought the birthday spark. The Pelicans supplied the late suspense.
New Orleans held off the Dallas Mavericks 101–97 on Wednesday night, improving to 2–1 in preseason play. What looked like a comfortable victory through three quarters became a tense finish as Dallas’ reserves pushed the Pelicans to the final seconds. Mavs Moneyball
Fears celebrated his 20th birthday by leading New Orleans with 16 points, five assists and three steals. He connected on six of 11 shots, including two of three from beyond the arc, delivering an efficient performance in just over 20 minutes. SI
Fears provides the spark, Missi supplies the protection
Fears’ combination of scoring and playmaking gave New Orleans something valuable: a guard who could threaten the defense while creating opportunities for teammates.
Yves Missi made his presence felt closer to the basket, collecting six points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Karlo Matković supplied a different dimension, scoring 11 points while making three of four three-point attempts. Their contrasting contributions offered useful options for coach Jamahl Mosley as he continues evaluating combinations. Crescent City Sports
Zion Williamson added 10 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Jaron Pierre Jr. also scored 10, providing another productive appearance as New Orleans examined its depth. Crescent City Sports
Pelicans individual stat box
Player
PTS
REB
AST
STL
BLK
Jeremiah Fears
16
3
5
3
0
Karlo Matković
11
2
0
0
0
Zion Williamson
10
0
1
0
0
Jaron Pierre Jr.
10
2
1
0
0
AJ Johnson
8
1
0
0
0
Herb Jones
7
0
0
1
0
Bennedict Mathurin
6
2
3
0
1
Yves Missi
6
9
0
1
4
Derik Queen
6
11
2
2
0
Trey Murphy III
5
3
3
1
0
Jordan Poole
4
3
3
1
1
Selected individual statistics from the final box score.SI
Dallas makes the finish uncomfortable
New Orleans carried a 56–45 halftime advantage into a 75–63 lead after three quarters. Dallas responded with 34 fourth-quarter points, turning the closing stretch into a much tougher test.
John Poulakidas and Tobi Lawal scored 16 points apiece for the Mavericks, while Seth Lundy added 13. Dallas played without Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, an important part of the context when evaluating the Pelicans’ performance. Mavs Moneyball
The door remained open after Jalon Moore missed two free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining. Dallas subsequently missed a potential tying three, and AJ Johnson’s free throw with 0.4 seconds left secured the victory. Crescent City Sports
Team stat box
Statistic
Pelicans
Mavericks
Final score
101
97
Field goals
34–75
30–84
Field-goal percentage
45.3%
35.7%
Three-pointers
8–27
10–49
Three-point percentage
29.6%
20.4%
Free throws
25–38
27–32
Free-throw percentage
65.8%
84.4%
Rebounds
40
47
Assists
19
21
Steals
14
8
Blocks
7
10
Player turnovers
19
25
Totals calculated from individual box-score entries; separate team rebounds and team turnovers are excluded.SI
A win with clear homework
The Who Dat Daily’s assessment: New Orleans showed the value of having several ways to influence a game. Fears created offense, Missi protected the basket, and Matković stretched the floor.
The free-throw line also explains why the finish became so uncomfortable. Thirteen missed foul shots left the Pelicans with little room for error. Queen’s night captured another mixed result: 11 rebounds helped, but 1-for-9 shooting limited his offensive contribution. SI
The next challenge is turning those individual contributions into steadier possessions and a cleaner finish. New Orleans returns home Friday, October 16, against Washington before opening the regular season against Indiana on October 21. Crescent City Sports
