For the second time in three games, the New Orleans Pelicans rallied from being down double figures in the second half to win again.
New Orleans was down eight points early in the fourth quarter to Dallas before exploding down the stretch in a 119-113 win over the Mavericks at Smoothie King Center for its fifth straight win.
It appeared the Pelicans would build on the win streak early.
New Orleans started fast.
Then, the offense slowed, fizzled for two quarters.
The Pelicans got off to a great start, taking an early 22-11 lead before Dallas caught fire and cut the deficit to 36-34 after one quarter.
The Mavericks continued to control play in the second quarter and carried a 63-57 lead to halftime as New Orleans cooled off considerably after a hot first quarter.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first half while Klay Thompson had 20 points off the bench.
Zion Williamson had 14 points and five rebounds off the bench in the half.
Dallas owned the boards by a 31-23 margin and had a huge 16-6 bulge in first-break points.
Herb Jones sprained his ankle in the third quarter and did not return after stepping on teammate Derik Queen’s foot.
After scoring just 43 points combined in the second and third quarters, the Pelicans hit on all cylinders in the fourth quarter, scoring 40 points, winning the period by 14 points to post a huge win.
The game was tied 103-103 when New Orleans went on a decisive 10-0 run.
Jordan Poole scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and forced two turnovers.
Despite bad decisions down the stretch to take shots way early in the shot clock with the lead, the Pelicans survived.
Williamson was the closer, taking over the game late. Williamson scored 10 points with two rebounds and an assist in the final 3:50.
Williamson finished with 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the field and making all four free throw attempts. Williamson added nine rebounds in just 25 minutes played.
Derik Queen was outstanding with 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Saddiq Bey had 19 points and seven rebounds.
New Orleans shot 85 percent from the free throw line (23 of 27). That helped the Pelicans overcome making just 8 of 34 three-point attempts. The Pelicans outscored Dallas 72-66 in the paint to offset a big 28-11 edge for the Mavs in fast break points.
The Mavericks hurt themselves at the free throw line, making just 11 of 21 attempts.
Davis finished with 35 points and 17 rebounds while Thompson did not score a point in the second half.
It is the first five game win streak since March, 2023 for New Orleans.
There is little time to celebrate.
The Pelicans are flying to Cleveland overnight to take on the Cavaliers tomorrow evening.