The New Orleans Pelicans won their fifth consecutive home game when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 129-111 on Monday night in the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans (23-46) tied the Mavericks for fourth place in the Southwest Division and 12th place in the Western Conference after winning the season series 3-1.
New Orleans is all but mathematically eliminated from play-in tournament contention, but will try to continue its recent home-court success when it plays the second game of a stretch of four home games in six days with the front end of a back-to-back set against the Los Angeles Clippers at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The Pelicans handled business Monday night at the Smoothie King Center, beating the Mavericks 129-111. Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 27…
Zion Williamson scored 27 points, Saddiq Bey scored 23, Jeremiah Fears and Trey Murphy had 17 each, Karlo Matkovic had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Herb Jones added 10 points to lead the Pelicans.
Yves Missi started in place of Dejounte Murray (illness) and had 10 rebounds. Missi tied a career-high with five blocked shots and added five assists and four points.
Former Pelican Naji Marshall scored 32, No. 1 overall draft choice Cooper Flagg scored 21, P.J. Washington Jr. had 18, and Max Chrisite added 12 to lead the Mavericks, who were completing a back-to-back after 130-120 victory at Cleveland on Sunday.
The Pelicans led by 13 points at halftime and expanded the lead to 81-63 on a dunk by Williamson early in the third quarter. Khris Middleton made consecutive 3-pointers to get the Mavericks within 13 before New Orleans pushed the lead to 19 and held a 103-86 cushion at the end of the third quarter.
Dallas trimmed the lead to 12 points twice, but Williamson made a basket, Murphy made a free throw and Bey added a jumper for a 119-102 lead with less than six minutes remaining.
The Mavericks opened a 23-13 lead midway through the first quarter then went cold. Bey scored all 10 of his first-quarter points during a 13-0 run that gave the Pelicans a three-point lead.
Dwight Powell made a free throw to end the run and Marshall’s floater ended a nearly four-minute field goal drought for Dallas before Derik Queen’s fadeaway beat the buzzer and gave New Orleans a 32-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Mavericks crept within one point early in the second quarter before Fears had eight points and an assist during an 11-2 run that gave the Pelicans a 47-37 lead. New Orleans expanded the lead to 18 points on two occasions and held a 67-54 halftime lead.
