Jeremiah Fears gave New Orleans exactly the kind of lift a preseason game can use, and the Pelicans rode it just enough to escape Dallas with a 101-97 win on Wednesday night.
The result pushed New Orleans to 2-1 in preseason play, but the final margin did not tell the whole story. The Pelicans led 56-45 at halftime and were still in control after three quarters, 75-63, before Dallas’ reserves turned the last period into a real test. The Mavericks scored 34 points in the fourth and dragged the game into the final seconds.
Fears did the heavy lifting on his 20th birthday, finishing with 16 points, five assists and three steals. He shot 6 of 11 from the floor and 2 of 3 from deep in a little more than 20 minutes, giving New Orleans a guard who could score and set the table at the same time.
Yves Missi made his mark around the rim with six points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while Karlo Matković added 11 points and hit 3 of 4 from three-point range. Zion Williamson chipped in 10 points and didn’t miss a shot, going 5-for-5. Jaron Pierre Jr. also finished with 10 points, another useful showing as New Orleans continued sorting through its depth.
The Pelicans’ box score had plenty of other contributors as well. AJ Johnson scored 8 points, Herb Jones had 7, Bennedict Mathurin posted 6 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and Derik Queen turned in a stat line that went in two directions: 6 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, but on 1-for-9 shooting. Trey Murphy III had 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal, while Jordan Poole added 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block.
Dallas made the closing stretch messy. John Poulakidas and Tobi Lawal scored 16 points each for the Mavericks, and Seth Lundy added 13. The Mavericks played without Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg.
Even then, the game was still there for the taking late. Jalon Moore missed two free throws with 6.3 seconds left, Dallas then missed a chance to tie it with a three, and AJ Johnson sealed it with a free throw and 0.4 seconds remaining.
New Orleans shot 34-for-75 from the field and 8-for-27 from three, while Dallas finished 30-for-84 and 10-for-49. The Pelicans were outrebounded 47-40, but they forced 25 Dallas turnovers and came up with 14 steals.
The free-throw line kept the finish from feeling comfortable. New Orleans missed 13 foul shots and finished 25-for-38 at the stripe, which left the door open longer than it should have been.
Still, the night showed the kind of variety New Orleans can lean on: Fears creating offense, Missi protecting the paint, and Matković stretching the floor. The Pelicans return home Friday, October 16, against Washington before opening the regular season against Indiana on October 21.
In Other News...
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For Moore, the pressure is no longer just about drawing up a sharper opening script. It is about how quickly he can adjust once the game starts going sideways, because the Saints have not given themselves much room to absorb another poor outing. New Orleans does not need a neat explanation for why the season has gone off track. It needs evidence that the coaching can still fix something before the noise around the team gets even louder. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Face A Giants Rookie Who Can Wreck This Game
The Saints offense has spent the week mapping out the Giants defense, and the rookie in the middle of it is impossible to ignore. Arvell Reese has quickly become a centerpiece for New York, showing the kind of versatility that lets him move around the formation and affect plays in a bunch of different ways, which is exactly the sort of problem New Orleans cannot afford to overlook.
For a Saints unit trying to clean up its own execution, Reese changes the feel of the matchup. He has been active all over the field and has already shown he can flash as both a tackler and a playmaker, so New Orleans will have to know where he is on every snap if it wants to give itself a real shot at moving the ball cleanly. [Read more 🡒]