Luka Doncic scored 26 points to lead seven Dallas players in double figures and the host Mavericks never trailed while routing the New Orleans Pelicans 132-91 in an NBA Cup game Tuesday night.
Klay Thompson scored 19, Kyrie Irving added 18, former Pelican Naji Marshall had 15, Quentin Grimes logged 12 and Daniel Gafford and Jaden Hardy scored 11 for the Mavericks.
Dallas led by as many as 41 points while producing a season-high point total and winning its third straight after a four-game losing streak. The Mavericks scored at least 34 points in the first, third and fourth quarters.
Trey Murphy III put up 19 points, Brandon Ingram had 17, Javonte Green scored 14, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 11 and Brandon Boston Jr. added 10 to lead the short-handed Pelicans, who lost for the eighth time in nine games.
Thompson made two 3-pointers to help the Mavericks begin the second half with an 11-3 run and take a 74-54 lead.
Ingram scored five points, Boston made a 3-pointer and Green converted a three-point play as the Pelicans crept within 81-65 with 4:26 to go in the third quarter.
Irving made consecutive 3-pointers to start a closing 16-4 run that left Dallas with a 97-69 lead at the end of the period.
Doncic scored the first four points of the game and Irving added a 3-pointer as Dallas took a 9-2 lead.
New Orleans got within three points before the Mavericks used an 11-0 run to open a 20-9 edge.
Robinson-Earl scored five straight Pelicans points and New Orleans twice closed within six points later in the opening frame.
Grimes made a field goal and a 3-pointer to help Dallas expand the lead to 44-29 at the end of the first quarter.
Murphy’s 3-pointer started the second-quarter scoring, but then the Mavericks looked as if they might put the game out of reach before halftime. Doncic had five points and an assist as the hosts increased the lead to 55-32 before cooling off.
Dallas scored just eight points during the final 7:48 of the half and Murphy scored the final three points of the second quarter to trim the gap to 63-51.
–Field Level Media