The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 88-85 in the Pelicans' final preseason game. The Mavericks have one remaining preseason game tomorrow.
Gal Mekel scored a game-high 17 points in an insane 42 minutes of play. Mekel, who was rumored in trade talks last week, has been making it hard for Dallas to trade him with his last few games, as he has led them in scoring the last two games. Meanwhile, Tyreke Evans scored a Pelicans team-high of 14, grabbing seven rebounds for himself and dishing out two assists as well.
The Dallas Mavericks did not play any of their projected starting players, as Raymond Felton, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler all didn’t play for multiple reasons in the loss. Dallas played a total of 10 players in the game whilst the New Orleans Pelicans played 17 players, sharing minutes throughout the team, giving the Coaches an overview of who they want to keep. The Pelicans are likely to cut Kevin Jones and D.J. Stephens within the next week.
Anthony Davis had 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in just 20 minutes of play. Eric Gordon chipped in with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Both players stuffed their stat sheet in their limited time on the court.
The Dallas Mavericks shot 17 percent from three and 39 percent from the field on the night. It was just a poor night shooting for them. Likewise, the Pelicans also struggled with their shooting on the night, going 22 percent from three and 37 percent from the field. The Pelicans doubled the Mavs in points off turnovers with 14 whilst Dallas turned the ball over 14 times on 16 assists.
The Pelicans finish their preseason with a record of 5-2, hoping to take that form into their opener versus the Orlando Magic on opening day. The Mavericks play the final game of their preseason against the Magic on Friday, October 24.