The New Orleans Pelicans continued their recent struggles with a 111-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, marking their 11th defeat in the last 12 games. Zion Williamson led the charge for New Orleans with 29 points, while Trey Murphy III added 20, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Mavericks team powered by Kyrie Irving’s 35 points and a strong first-half showing from P.J. Washington Jr., who scored 20 of his 24 points before halftime.
Irving was particularly efficient, shooting 11 of 22 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and sinking all eight of his free throws.
The Pelicans fought hard to stay within striking distance, narrowing the deficit to four points late in the fourth quarter after a CJ McCollum three-pointer. However, a quick response from Naji Marshall and consecutive three-pointers from Irving and Marshall sealed the win for Dallas.
Despite dominating in the paint with a 56-36 scoring advantage, the Pelicans couldn’t keep pace from beyond the arc, where the Mavericks connected on 16 of 44 attempts compared to New Orleans’ 8 of 27.
Kelly Olynyk made his Pelicans debut, contributing four points, three rebounds, and three assists in 23 minutes. Williamson reached a career milestone, surpassing 5,000 career points in just 203 games, joining elite company alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
