The Smoothie King Center had plenty of energy Wednesday night, but on a night where they had plenty of offense, the New Orleans Pelicans just couldn’t get enough stops when it mattered. Following a desperate late comeback, New Orleans fell to the Mavericks 137-136, dropping their fourth straight game and slipping to 12-36 on the season.
Zion Williamson continues to look strong since returning from his hamstring injury. Zion posted an incredibly efficient 29 points and seven assists in 28 minutes. “When he’s out there healthy, he’s a heck of a player to go against,” said Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.
| Zion | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | FG% | FT% | Min. |
| Last 3 games | 29.3 | 8.0 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 62.5 | 72.0 | 27.3 |
| Season | 23.6 | 8.2 | 5.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 52.0 | 64.5 | 28.5 |
| Career | 24.6 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 58.7 | 69.1 | 31.6 |
After suffering through a mini shooting slump over his last few games, Trey Murphy caught fire to lead the Pels with 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including five threes. It was his fifth 30-point game of the season, matching his career high. Dejounte Murray added 27, and CJ McCollum had 23.
By the time the third quarter ended, Dallas had already put up 97 points. Then they really got going. The Mavericks torched the Pelicans for 40 points in the final period, led by P.J. Washington, who couldn’t miss from deep. Washington knocked down four three-pointers in the fourth, finishing with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Irving added 25 of his own, and Daniel Gafford was perfect from the field, going 9-for-9 with 22 points. Gafford has destroyed the Pelicans this season, making 21 of his 22 field goal attempts over the last two games.
Despite all that, the Pelicans had their chances. After cutting a 10-point deficit to three with under 16 seconds left, Dejounte Murray drilled a three to make it 136-133. Dallas’ Spencer Dinwiddie hit one of two free throws, and New Orleans had one last possession. That’s when CJ McCollum stepped up and knocked down a deep three at the buzzer. It didn’t change the outcome, but it did put McCollum in the record books.
That shot made McCollum the Pelicans’ all-time leader in made three-pointers, passing Jrue Holiday with 629. Since arriving from Portland in 2022, he’s been a steady veteran presence, but milestones like this are a little bittersweet in a season that hasn’t gone according to plan.
“It’s a blessing to have a guy like CJ,” head coach Willie Green said. “I’m extremely proud of him breaking the record tonight, and he’s going to continue to excel because of his professionalism and the way he approaches the game.”
Unfortunately for McCollum and the Pels, this loss was just another reminder of how much work needs to be done. The Mavericks dominated the boards, out-rebounding New Orleans 57-38 and scoring 32 second-chance points. Even a great shooting night (53.7% from the field, 48.4% from three) wasn’t enough to overcome that.
With the trade deadline approaching and the playoffs out of reach, it’ll be interesting to see what direction the Pelicans take. As for now, they’ll try to snap their losing streak Friday when they take on the defending champion Boston Celtics at home.
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