Saddiq Bey scored season highs of 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans past the Dallas Mavericks 101-99 on Wednesday night.
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg’s potential game-tying shot with 2 seconds left bounced off the back of the rim, with New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III securing the rebound to seal the win, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
Jeremiah Fears and reserve Jose Alvarado each added 13 points for the Pelicans (2-6), who swept a back-to-back after defeating Charlotte at home on Tuesday.
Flagg led the Mavericks with 20 points and nine rebounds. P.J. Washington contributed 15 points and 11 boards for Dallas (2-6), which has now lost three straight games.
The Mavericks, last in the NBA averaging 107.3 points per game, debuted a new starting lineup. Flagg shifted from point guard to small forward, while D’Angelo Russell made his first start of the season at the point. Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since March 2024, scoring a season-high 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in 21 minutes. Russell added nine points on 3-of-10 shooting.
The Pelicans, missing power forward Zion Williamson (strained hamstring) and point guard Jordan Poole (sore knee), played with their seventh starting lineup in eight games.
The Mavericks were without power forward Anthony Davis (calf strain) for the third consecutive game and center Dereck Lively II (sprained knee) for the fifth straight game.
Dallas rallied after missing its first seven shots and falling behind by 13 points in the first half. Despite holding a 56-44 rebounding edge, the Pelicans were outscored 18-10 on second-chance points.
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