The Dallas Mavericks faced the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. The Pelicans secured a 129-111 victory, potentially influencing both teams’ NBA draft prospects this offseason.
The Mavericks have now lost three of their four matchups with the Pelicans, and the two teams are now tied in the standings. The Pelicans appear to be trending in a positive direction.
Marshall’s Strong Performance
Although he wasn’t as blazing hot from the field as he was on Sunday, Naji Marshall was the standout performer for the Mavericks on Monday night. He converted on half of his 24 shot attempts.
Marshall performed well in all aspects of the game. It’s difficult to find fault with his performance, with the possible exception of a lack of steals or blocks.
Flagg’s High Assist Total
While not as dominant as Marshall, Cooper Flagg also delivered a strong performance. Flagg’s turnover count was high for the second consecutive game, recording four.
However, his assist total was also quite high. Once he refines that part of his game just a bit, he’s likely going to maintain those high-assist nights with low-turnover performances and it’s going to be amazing.
Mixed Performances from Other Mavericks
Washington has been showing glimpses of the player so many fell in love with. He was 7-for-13, including 4-for-8 from deep, had zero turnovers, and committed only a single foul in a very nice complementary game.
Bagley was 4-for-7, including hitting his only three-point attempt and sniffed a double-double in under 20 minutes. Six of his nine boards were on the offensive end. This was an efficient game where Bagley, like Christie, made the most of his minutes and touches.
Christie didn’t light up the box score, but he hit his shots (4-for-7 overall; 4-for-6 from deep) and even played a bit of defense in a solid game where Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg (rightfully) got a ton of touches, leaving him to make the most of what he could. Fewer three-point attempts and more drives or mid-range shots would have been nice, but you can’t argue with the results from deep in this one.
Middleton’s Struggles
Middleton’s performance was not strong. He went 2-for-9 and never appeared comfortable during the game.
Nembhard’s Limited Impact
A 1-for-8 shooting night drives Nembhard’s grade down despite a solid assist total and even a few rebounds. He didn’t have much playing time, but regardless, there was very little to write home about Monday night.
The Pelicans now hold a 3-1 season series advantage over the Mavs.