The New Orleans Pelicans followed up their first win of the season with another one 24 hours later.
The Pelicans, led by Saddiq Bey, beat the Dallas Mavericks 101-99 Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. It came on the heels of Tuesday’s thrilling home victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The win Tuesday snapped a 13-game losing streak.
The Pelicans (2-6) didn’t have much success in back-to-back games last season.
They won both games on consecutive nights just once the whole year. This year, they swept their first one.
“Two wins in a row,” said Pelicans’ coach Willie Green. “I’m really happy for our group right now.”
Bey, acquired in the offseason as part of the CJ McCollum trade, scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. It was Bey’s first 20-point game since March of 2024 when he was playing with the Atlanta Hawks.
“He was our anchor,” Green said. “Whenever we needed a bucket, he settled us down. If we needed a stop or a rebound, he was there. He’s been steady like that all year for us. It was good to get him on the floor and get him more minutes. This was a back-to-back and those guys laid it all on the floor and gave it everything they had.”
The Pelicans won despite being without Zion Williamson (hamstring), Yves Missi (illness) and Jordan Poole (knee soreness). Green used his seventh different starting lineup. The starters Wednesday were Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Kevon Looney and Bey. That lineup started the game on a 9-0 run and led 52-49 at the break. The Pelicans got outscored 28-26 in the third quarter, but made enough plays down the stretch to drop the Mavs to 2-6.
Jose Alvarado came off the bench to score 13 points to go with eight rebounds. Fears also scored 13 points. Derik Queen, fresh off his best game the night before, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Murphy scored 11 with his nine rebounds and Jones had 12 points.
But the Pels were just as impressive on the defensive end.
The Pelicans entered the game allowing 123.9 points per game, which ranked 28th in the league. This was the first time in 14 games they held an opponent to less than 100 points.
“It’s the preparation meets opportunity moments for our guys,” Green said. “It was a collective effort between the starters and the second unit.”
The Pelicans head back to Texas and play the San Antonio Spurs Saturday. The Pelicans lost their home opener to the Spurs 120-116 in overtime on Oct. 24. The Pelicans will be looking for their third straight victory.
“Huge effort, huge win for our group,’ Green said.
