On Saturday night, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks faced off with depleted rosters.
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On Saturday night, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks faced off with depleted rosters. Despite missing key players like Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson, and Trey Murphy III, the visiting Pelicans secured a 118-108 victory against the host Mavericks. On the other side, the Mavericks were without Luka Doncic, Dante Exum, and Dereck Lively II due to ankle, plantar, and ankle issues, respectively.
Both squads are crossing their fingers to have more players available when they clash again on Monday afternoon in Dallas. The New Orleans team wrapped up a back-to-back, coming off a loss in Denver with a score of 125-113 on Friday night. The squad didn’t even hit their hotel in Dallas until a bleary-eyed 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Coach Willie Green of New Orleans praised Hawkins, emphasizing that the young player’s exceptional 3-point skills helped fill the void left by Murphy. Green commended Hawkins, stating he was “terrific,” and highlighted the youngster’s outstanding “game-plan discipline.” Hawkins showcased his prowess by making six 3-pointers, contributing four assists and two steals.
For the Mavericks, Doncic (ankle injury) and Exum (heel injury) will not be playing the game. Besides, Kleber (toe injury), Lively (ankle injury), and Williams (ankle injury) are also questionable for the game. As for the Pelicans, only Ryan will be sitting this one out due to an elbow injury.
Seizing the moment, New Orleans edged past Dallas in the Southwest Division standings, breaking the tie and securing a 2-1 lead in the season series, which will come to a conclusion on Monday.
The Mavs have been on a rollercoaster of inconsistency lately. After a triumph against the Western Conference leaders, Minnesota, they suffered a 17-point defeat to a Memphis team missing key players. However, they swiftly recovered, securing a 128-124 win over a Knicks team on a five-game winning streak, despite missing Doncic, Exum, and Lively for that game as well. Unfortunately, their ups and downs continued with a subsequent loss to the Pelicans.
In the midst of various player absences, the Mavs welcomed back forward Maxi Kleber, a key contributor coming off a two-month hiatus due to a toe injury. Making his return on Saturday, he notched two points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in just 11 minutes on the court.
The Pelicans have emerged victorious in eight of their last nine away games and boast a 3-1 record on a road trip that concludes on Monday. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have secured four wins out of six on their current homestand, which comes to an end on Monday.
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