Naji Marshall scored 32 on Monday night on his old court. The Dallas Mavericks had the New Orleans Pelicans down by 10 in the first quarter. The Pelicans’ bench helped flip the game before halftime to win 129-111 at Smoothie King Center, handing the Mavs their 26th road loss of the season and dropping both clubs to 23-46 on the year.
Marshall went 12-of-24 for 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and handed out seven assists. Cooper Flagg added 21 points, five assists, and eight rebounds in his most complete two-way effort of the trip. Washington added 18, all threes. The starters competed, but the bench was outgunned once Jeremiah Fears got going in the second quarter, and Dallas never recovered.
It was the back end of a road back-to-back — last stop on a 14-day run that opened with six straight road games through two countries, squeezed in one home game, then closed with two back-to-back sets. Home Wednesday against Atlanta to start a three-game stand.
Dallas Mavericks Jump Out to a 10-Point Lead in the First Quarter
Washington hit three straight threes in the first seven minutes. Flagg threw down two running dunks in the same stretch. Up 23-13, Dallas had New Orleans calling a timeout and looking rattled.
Kidd traced it back to Cleveland the night before — the same ball movement, the same early pace that carried over from a road win 24 hours earlier.
“We were really good there in the first five minutes,” Kidd said. “The ball was moving, P.J. was shooting the ball. That was everything. We had good looks that just didn’t go down for us after that stretch. But again, that start was a carryover from Cleveland the day before, so there was a lot of good stuff.”
Getting different guys involved from the jump, Kidd said, is what makes this offense hard to scheme against.
“I think what we’re doing is getting everyone involved early — P.J., Max, Naji,” Kidd said. “Just understanding how to play in front and get different guys’ touches. That’s important for us.”
Flagg put one word to what went sideways once New Orleans adjusted — stagnation.
“I thought we played with great pace out of the gates early,” Flagg said. “Then it got stagnant, and I think that was the biggest challenge for us throughout the game. We’ve got to find ways to get the energy back in the ball and keep it moving.”
Saddiq Bey ended it. With 3:11 left in the first, he scored 11 straight — a three, a layup, a free throw — and New Orleans was up 32-26. The Pelicans stayed in front the rest of the night.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Bench Decides the Second Quarter
The second quarter came down to who had the better bench. New Orleans did, and it wasn’t close.
Fears checked in and scored 10 points in roughly two minutes. He drained a 28-footer, then read a Nembhard pass and finished a runout dunk on the other end 14 seconds later — 41-35 in a blink. New Orleans pushed it to 47-37 from there. A game Dallas could still win turned into a comfortable Pelicans lead before the half.
Borrego has watched Fears put up 17 enough times that the number itself doesn’t move the needle — he notices where the points come from.
“Those added up quick,” Borrego said. “I didn’t feel 17 out there. Then you look up and he’s got 15-plus every single night. But he’s just become more efficient, taking the right shots. He’s doing a lot of his damage in transition. He finds us four to six to eight points every game in transition somehow, some way.”
Marshall spelled out the coverage dilemma New Orleans puts on a defense every night. Lay off, and they shoot threes. Apply pressure, and the drive opens up.
“Big guards, strong guards,” Marshall said. “A lot of them can shoot, so you’ve got to pressure them, and then it opens up the drive. They’re good at finishing. Shoutout to their staff — they’re working with those guys every day.”
Matković summed up the second unit’s role in a few words.
“The second unit always brings that energy,” Matković said. “I think that’s something that triggers us. We try to keep that pace every time we get in. Energy, high motor.”
Murphy III buried a 27-footer, and Williamson scored four in the final 45 seconds. New Orleans 67, Dallas 54 at halftime. Six Pelicans hit double figures. Borrego said the ball movement is what makes that kind of offensive distribution possible, and named where he wants this group to be.
“It felt within the flow,” Borrego said. “The ball was moving. We were finding the right guy, playing together, sharing it, moving it. I think we’ve really grown in that area a tremendous amount. I think we should be knocking on the doorstep of 30-plus every night. That’s the strength of this team — multiple scorers, multiple playmakers.”
Zion Williamson Dominates Dallas Mavericks in the Third Quarter
Zion Williamson was 11-of-13 for 27 points. Twenty-five of those came before the fourth. The third quarter was mostly him going left, finding the rim, and getting to the line — whatever Dallas threw at him, he had an answer.
Borrego spent more time postgame on Williamson’s unselfishness than his efficiency — specifically the timeout huddles where Williamson is already asking about getting Murphy III or Derik Queen a touch instead of calling for the ball himself.
“Just very efficient again from the start,” Borrego said. “Zion’s one of the biggest rim-pressure guys in the NBA — certainly in the last 10 years, maybe one of the best just putting pressure on the rim consistently. He’s very aware of his teammates, even when he has it going like that. Even those timeouts when I’m drawing a play for him, he’s really thinking about his teammates. He probably could go for 35 or 40 on a night like this, and he’s still aware of making sure everybody’s doing well.”
Sixty-eight points in the paint. Kidd didn’t need long to explain it.
“We didn’t do a good job protecting the paint,” Kidd said. “Zion dominated tonight. We’ll go back, look at it, and see how we can be better. But when you look at their ability to get downhill — Zion especially — that’s where they hurt us.”
Marshall kept it short.
“Zion one-on-one is different,” Marshall said. “He goes left, and nobody can stop him. He’s like a freight train. Just a hard worker — shoutout to my boy.”
Flagg explained what makes guarding Williamson a problem without help — he goes through contact on purpose, which means trying to stay in front of him almost always puts a defender in foul trouble.
“He’s really, really good at getting downhill and to his left hand, going through your body and creating contact,” Flagg said. “You don’t want to foul him, but it is tough to stop when he’s coming downhill like that. I think we can be better at helping each other, shrinking the floor, and not letting guys get to their spots early.”
Yves Missi started for an ailing DeJounte Murray and tied his career high with five blocked shots, making every trip to the rim uncomfortable for Dallas. He described the paint protection less as a system and more as a matter of knowing your teammates will be where they’re supposed to be.
“Defense is just habits,” Missi said. “I know if my man goes and I can come over, just have each other’s back, be there for each other. That’s the main thing on defense — something that we’ve emphasized lately. Being able to rebound, get stops, then just positioning.”
The blocks fed directly into the transition. Missi framed the whole thing as possessions.
“Every time you get a stop, a steal, or even a block, you get something in transition,” Missi said. “After a block, you get a layup — just quick plays. Whoever gets the most possessions is most likely going to win the game.”
Borrego called Missi transformative.
“I thought he was fantastic,” Borrego said. “He affects our defense in so many ways, but love his energy, his spirit. He’s becoming that rim protector for us. He’s switchable, we’re using him in a number of ways defensively, and then he gets out and runs. He’s all over the offensive glass. He’s made tremendous strides.”
Matković scored seven straight late in the third — the last a hook shot off his own miss — and it was 99-84. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. When asked why the Pelicans generate so many easy transition baskets, he started with the defensive communicators on the roster.
“We have, like, one, two — two first-team All-Defense guys,” Matković said. “That helps a lot. They talk to us, they let us know. And definitely Yves Missi — his defensive presence too. Defense to offense actually works a lot for us, especially possessions. We’re just trying to keep staying on it.”
Dallas never got within 13 the rest of the way.
Naji Marshall Delivers a Complete Performance for the Dallas Mavericks
Back in his old building for the first time as a visitor, Marshall was the one Maverick who kept New Orleans honest all night — driving, finding open teammates, playing hard when most guys would have coasted through a blowout.
The gym felt like home the moment he walked in, he said.
“Comfortability,” Marshall said. “I played here for quite some time, so just being comfortable with the arena, the gym, it felt good.”
When Dallas started attacking switches in the second half, Marshall said the adjustment was simple — stop holding, go get it.
“We just started attacking the switches and stopped holding the ball,” Marshall said. “We got to it right away. We were more aggressive in the second half, especially being down.”
Same read from Flagg’s perspective.
“Just switch hunting,” Flagg said. “Teams were switching, so we wanted to find that mismatch, find the big, and attack them. Just trying to get downhill and make plays.”
Flagg called Marshall a true professional and said he’s taken notice of what he does every night.
“I appreciate everything about Naji,” Flagg said. “He’s such a good basketball player all around — consistent. He shows up every single night, he’s a true professional. Tonight was just another example of him impacting the game. What he can do out there is super impressive. I’ve been really impressed with Naji.”
Kidd circled back to Marshall more than once — the way he competed when the deficit made competing pointless to anyone else in the building.
“The character,” Kidd said. “When you talk about Naji, he just loves to play the game. He competes, he wants to win, and he’ll do whatever it takes for his team. Tonight he did that. He kept playing no matter what the score was. He still believed we had a chance to win.”
Marshall didn’t need long to explain where that comes from.
“Just being unbelievably blessed to be in this position and have this opportunity,” Marshall said. “I take full advantage of it. My love for the game, my love to compete — the game’s never over until the last buzzer sounds. When I’m out there, I just want to show how grateful I am with how hard I play.”
Even down big in the fourth, the trust within this group showed. Marshall talked about reads that happen before the play even develops.
“They’re great at sharing the ball,” Marshall said. “We’ve built some chemistry throughout the year, and I feel comfortable with them out there. I know where they’re going to be on the floor, and it’s the same for them with me. It’s just comfortability.”
On the schedule grind, Marshall had no patience for the conversation.
“It’s not. It’s our job,” Marshall said. “It’s what we’re here for. We’ve just got to do what we’ve got to do.”
On defense, he pointed to the previous two games as something real to build on.
“Just communication — talking more, getting better as a team,” Marshall said. “I think we’ve been better the last two games than we were earlier in the season. It’s about progress. You’re not going to get it all in one day. Just keep stacking days and being there for each other through adversity.”
Cooper Flagg Battles Through Grueling Stretch
Flagg finished with 21 points and made his presence felt in the second half, going right at switches, getting downhill, and hunting the rim. Fourteen days into a stretch that would test anyone, he said the body is holding up fine.
“It feels pretty good. Definitely a little sore, a little banged up, but I feel pretty solid overall.”
The night before in Cleveland — front end of the same back-to-back, road win, ball moving — that’s the version of this team Flagg wants to replicate every night out.
“We did that in Cleveland the other night and early in this game,” Flagg said. “But we’ve got to sustain it. We’ve got to continue to play with pace when teams are switching and trying to stall us out. As I said, just keep the energy in the ball and keep it moving.”
His reads in the pick-and-roll have gotten sharper. Flagg talked about recognizing what his gravity does to coverage before he even puts the ball on the floor — and trusting the open man that shows up when help comes.
“I feel good about it,” Flagg said. “Guys are knocking down shots, which definitely helps. But I think it’s part of just using my gravity. I’m starting to understand it more — collapsing the defense, they’re coming to help, so you’ve got to make the right play and find the open man.”
Max Christie started and scored 12, his pair of second-quarter threes briefly cracking the door open. Khris Middleton had six off the bench.
What’s Next for the Dallas Mavericks
Kidd felt that losing Brandon Williams early to a head injury left Dallas in a challenging situation, and New Orleans is a different team when it gets rolling.
“It’s just hard to get stops,” Kidd said. “It’s hard to play a lot of basketball like that. Losing guys hurt us too — not having another scorer or playmaker on the floor. But the guys did everything they could. We got off to a great start, but New Orleans is better when they get going like that.”
Dallas cut it to 14 at one point in the second half. Kidd said that’s where the game slipped — no stop, no shot.
“I thought we got it down to 14 at one point — we were trying to get it to 10 — but we couldn’t get a stop and we couldn’t get a shot,” Kidd said.
“It’s been a long trip,” Kidd said. “But at the same time, we’ve got to play the schedule. There’s things we can learn from it.”
Flagg is eager to get back home.
“It’s going to feel great. I’m very excited to go home, sleep in my bed, and get a couple of great nights of rest.”
Twelve games left, and Matković said getting healthy is what changed everything for New Orleans — the whole roster finally together, figuring out what they can actually do.
“Everybody got healthy right now, so I think that’s one thing,” Matković said. “That extra energy comes back. Everything kind of lines up together. We’re kind of starting off late, but I think that’s good for us to get it rolling for something that’s coming up.”
Dallas opens its three-game homestand Wednesday against Atlanta.
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