Mavericks (3-13), Pelicans (6-12)
DALLAS – In a storyline similar to what took place often during the frustrating early portion of the schedule, New Orleans played Dallas evenly Sunday for three-plus quarters, but couldn't close out a victory, instead dropping what had been a tight affair. The Pelicans were up 68-62 during the early stages of the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks went on an extended 27-12 run to take over the Southwest Division matchup. The struggling Mavs prevailed despite being without perennial All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
New Orleans heads home to face the two Los Angeles teams this week, starting with the Lakers on Tuesday, followed by the Clippers on Friday.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Dallas wing Wesley Matthews nailed a dagger three-pointer from the top of the arc, giving the hosts an 89-80 edge with 1:31 remaining. The Mavericks led 44-42 at halftime and the score was deadlocked at 60 through three quarters, but Dallas finally broke through for some breathing room late.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
NBA leading scorer Anthony Davis again increased his scoring average, dropping in 36 points to go with 13 rebounds, two steals and one block. Davis accounted for a major chunk of the New Orleans offense all game, including registering 19 first-half points and 17 more after the break. Davis finished 12/22 from the field and 12/14 from the foul line.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Making his second straight start at small forward after Dante Cunningham was sidelined by a broken leg, Solomon Hill turned in one of his more valuable performances of the season, scoring nine points. On the other end of the floor, he compiled one block and two steals.
