New Orleans built an 11-point first-half lead over Southwest Division counterpart Dallas on national TV Tuesday, but from there, it was all Mavericks and all Luka Doncic. Dallas’ second-year star rolled to 33 points and 18 rebounds, logging only 28 minutes as the Mavericks didn’t need his services in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans began the second period with an 11-0 run to go up 35-24, but the Mavs outscored the hosts 35-18 the rest of the stanza to build a halftime lead. Dallas kept adding to the margin after intermission, using a 20-9 spurt in the fourth quarter to build a 20-point advantage.