Pelicans’ 1-2 punch knocks Mavs to their worst start in 24 years
Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds, DeMarcus Cousins added his second 20-20 game of the season and the New Orleans Pelicans started a four-game trip with a 99-94 victory over the last-place Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 26 points for the Mavericks, who are 1-9 for the first time since 1993-94. That was the second straight 1-9 start for teams that lost an average of 70 games over two seasons.
Cousins had 20 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists for the Pelicans, who were coming off two straight home losses. The 6-foot-11 center, who tied his career high with 20 defensive rebounds, had season highs of 41 points and 23 rebounds in a win at Sacramento last week.
Jrue Holliday added eight assists and a season-high eight rebounds.
The Pelicans led by 14 in the first quarter before Barnes scored 13 second-quarter points to help the Mavericks take their only lead at 31-30. New Orleans pushed the margin back to 17 in the third.
Davis, who matched his season with three blocks, was 10 of 19 from the field and Cousins 8 of 16 to offset an otherwise cold night for the Pelicans. They shot 40 percent and were 7 of 29 from 3-point range. Cousins had four of the long-range misses without making one.
The starting Dallas backcourt of Dennis Smith Jr. and Wesley Matthews went a combined 10 of 32 as the Mavericks shot 39 percent. Smith scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Backup Dallas center Salah Mejri had 13 rebounds and five blocks.
Tip-ins
Pelicans: Davis and Cousins were a combined 9 of 10 in the first quarter, with Davis scoring 13 and Cousins 10. … Pelicans had two shot-clock violations in a ragged third quarter in which both teams were 7 of 23 (30 percent) and combined to make four of 20 from 3 (20 percent).
Mavericks: Matthews got a technical foul in the second quarter for complaining after he was called for a foul on Davis. … Shawn Marion, a member of Dallas’ 2011 championship team, had a midcourt seat on the front row and was introduced to nice applause.
Up next
The Mavericks play Saturday night at Minnesota in their third back-to-back of the season.
New Orleans | 28 | 27 | 20 | 24 | — | 99 |
Dallas | 25 | 21 | 17 | 31 | — | 94 |
New Orleans | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Cunningham | 16:25 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Davis | 40:19 | 10-19 | 10-12 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 30 |
Cousins | 38:41 | 8-16 | 4-4 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 20 |
Holiday | 38:02 | 3-13 | 0-0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
Moore | 33:34 | 5-12 | 0-2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
Nelson | 27:52 | 1-5 | 4-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Allen | 18:05 | 4-9 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
Miller | 12:34 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
Clark | 12:15 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Smith | 2:13 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 240 | 36-89 | 20-26 | 53 | 23 | 22 | 99 |
Percentages: FG .404, FT .769. 3-Point Goals: 7-29, .241 (Miller 3-5, Allen 1-2, Clark 1-3, Cunningham 1-3, Moore 1-4, Davis 0-2, Nelson 0-2, Cousins 0-4, Holiday 0-4). Team Rebounds: 14. Team Turnovers: 12 (10 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Davis 3, Holiday). Turnovers: 12 (Cousins 4, Davis 4, Moore 2, Holiday, Miller). Steals: 9 (Allen 2, Holiday 2, Nelson 2, Cousins, Cunningham, Davis). Technical Fouls: coach Pelicans (Defensive three second), 00:35 first; Cousins, 00:52 fourth.
Dallas | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Barnes | 38:38 | 9-17 | 7-10 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 26 |
Nowitzki | 21:45 | 2-9 | 3-3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Noel | 13:28 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Matthews | 38:07 | 3-12 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
Smith Jr. | 28:42 | 7-20 | 0-0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
Barea | 22:49 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 13 |
Mejri | 21:48 | 3-4 | 1-3 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
Ferrell | 21:40 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Harris | 20:50 | 2-5 | 6-6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
Powell | 12:13 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Totals | 240 | 34-88 | 17-22 | 47 | 19 | 24 | 94 |
Percentages: FG .386, FT .773. 3-Point Goals: 9-34, .265 (Barea 3-6, Ferrell 2-6, Smith Jr. 2-8, Barnes 1-4, Matthews 1-6, Nowitzki 0-1, Powell 0-1, Harris 0-2). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 15 (20 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Mejri 5, Barnes, Ferrell). Turnovers: 15 (Barea 4, Mejri 4, Smith Jr. 4, Barnes, Noel, Nowitzki). Steals: 4 (Barnes, Harris, Noel, Powell). Technical Fouls: Matthews, 9:38 third. Att.—19,894 (19,200). T—2:24. Officials—Justin Van Duyne, Kane Fitzgerald, Karl Lane
This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Pelicans’ 1-2 punch knocks Mavs to their worst start in 24 years."