The New Orleans Pelicans are starting to find their groove, and Monday night’s 119-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks was a prime example of a young team learning how to close. Powered by a fourth-quarter surge and some timely shot-making, the Pelicans notched their fifth straight victory, showing flashes of the team they believe they can become.
Zion Williamson led the way with 24 points, but this was far from a one-man show. Rookie big man Derik Queen had a strong night, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds - his second straight double-double - and looked increasingly comfortable asserting himself in the paint.
Saddiq Bey matched Queen’s scoring with 19 of his own, while Jordan Poole added 14, including a critical 10-point burst in the fourth quarter that flipped the game’s momentum. Jeremiah Fears chipped in 12 and Trey Murphy added 11, giving New Orleans six players in double figures.
The Pelicans, now 8-22, are still working their way out of an early-season hole, but the fight they showed against Dallas was encouraging. Down by 11 early in the fourth, they responded with an 18-4 run that turned the game on its head. Poole was the catalyst during that stretch, knocking down shots and pushing the pace, while the defense tightened up just enough to slow the Mavericks’ rhythm.
Zion took it from there. With the game tied late, he scored six straight during a 10-0 Pelicans run that gave New Orleans a 113-103 lead. That stretch - physical, decisive, and fueled by pure aggression - was vintage Zion, the kind of sequence that reminds you why he’s still the centerpiece of this team’s vision.
Dallas didn’t go quietly. The Mavericks clawed back to within four in the final seconds, but couldn’t close the gap.
Former Pelican Anthony Davis was a force all night, finishing with 35 points and 17 rebounds. Klay Thompson added 20, and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg continued his steady rookie campaign with 16 points.
Naji Marshall, another former Pelican, contributed 15 off the bench.
The game had its share of momentum swings. New Orleans opened hot, jumping out to a 22-11 lead behind early contributions from Bey and Herb Jones, who each scored seven in the first quarter.
But Dallas responded with an 11-0 run fueled by Thompson, and the teams traded blows from there. Zion’s dunk gave the Pelicans a 36-34 edge at the end of the first, but the Mavericks took control in the second quarter and held a 63-57 lead at halftime after Davis knocked down a late three.
Herb Jones, who had returned to the starting lineup after missing the second half of Saturday’s win over Indiana, gave the Pelicans a boost early but exited in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle. His status moving forward will be something to watch, especially with a back-to-back on the horizon.
In the third, Dallas extended its lead to 83-73 midway through the frame, with Flagg and Marshall each scoring five during the stretch. Jose Alvarado briefly sparked New Orleans with back-to-back threes, but the Mavericks still held an 87-79 edge heading into the fourth.
That’s when the Pelicans flipped the script.
It wasn’t just the scoring - though Poole and Zion certainly delivered - it was the energy. The ball movement sharpened, the defense got more active, and the Pelicans looked like a team that believed they were going to win. That belief, after a rocky start to the season, is starting to show up more often.
Next up, New Orleans heads to Cleveland on Tuesday before returning home for a pair of games against the Phoenix Suns. If they can keep this momentum going, don’t be surprised if the Pelicans start climbing the standings - and fast.