DALLAS — Turnovers cost the Dallas Mavericks 27 points Wednesday night at American Airlines Center, where the New Orleans Pelicans held off a fourth-quarter push for a 101-97 preseason win.
Dallas played without Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, who were both resting, and six other players who were ruled out before tip-off. Rookie Tobi Lawal and second-year guard John Poulakidas, both on two-way contracts, scored 16 points apiece off the bench to lead the Mavericks.
The loss dropped Dallas to 1-2 in the preseason. It came two days after the Mavericks closed the NBA China Games in Macao with a 132-115 win over the Houston Rockets, and less than 48 hours after an 18-hour flight home.
Mavericks coach Dusty May opened his postgame availability on the young players who filled the minutes. The veterans who made the trip were another matter, and May put the loss on the giveaways rather than the glass, where Dallas won 48-40.
“We were very proud of how the young guys came in and competed. All the vets just looked a step slow after the China trip,” May said. “We certainly got something out of this, but obviously when you turn the ball over like we did, it’s gonna be tough to win despite that we had a really, really sound effort on the glass.”
The Mavericks grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and scored 27 second-chance points to the Pelicans’ 10. New Orleans answered with a 50-38 edge in the paint and a 23-8 edge in fast-break points.
Daniel Gafford sat with a right shoulder stinger, Morez Johnson Jr. with right shin splints, and Marcus Sasser with left adductor tightness. Santi Aldama (right knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), and two-way guard Jett Howard, who came down with a stomach virus Wednesday, were also out. Dwight Powell did not play by coach’s decision.
Starting center Moussa Cissé tweaked his left ankle in the first half and sat the rest of the night. He had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 16:29 before the injury, which May said there was no reason to push.
“They said he tweaked an ankle, and I don’t think in preseason there’s any reason to push it,” May said.
Turnovers Put Dallas Mavericks In A 14-Point Hole Against New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans led 24-18 after the first quarter and scored 32 points in the second to take a 56-45 halftime lead. Both Pelicans technical fouls came in that period, with Trendon Watford whistled at 5:01 and Jeremiah Fears at 1:47. The Pelicans pushed the lead to 75-63 through three quarters and led by as many as 14.
Dallas committed 27 turnovers, and New Orleans had 14 steals. The Mavericks forced 21 Pelicans turnovers and scored 16 points off them. Part of the problem was self-inflicted, according to May, with illegal screens and too little offensive variety in what the Mavericks are running.
“We need to look at it a little bit closer, but the illegal screens, we’ve had some self-inflicted, and part of that is we don’t have a lot of offensive variety in right now,” May explained. “But there’s some things we can definitely as a staff do more to help these guys with the turnovers. And then I thought tonight, though, their pressure, physicality sped us up at times where we tried to drive into bad spacing, and that never ends well, rarely ends well.”
Sergio de Larrea played a team-high 30:10 and had 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, with 5 turnovers. Pressure has been the toughest part of the offense for the rookie guard from Spain, who wants Dallas to release it and avoid giveaways.
“Probably the pressure. I think we face a lot of pressure, a lot of hands, a lot of contacts,” de Larrea said. “I think we have to release the pressure, try to avoid some turnovers, and I think that’s the key of the game.”
Poulakidas traced the turnovers to youth and inexperience, and to players tightening up after a couple of bad ones.
“I think just continuing to stay composed. I think sometimes when you get a couple bad turnovers, you might tighten up a little bit, tense up, excuse me,” Poulakidas said. “I think that’s just youth and inexperience. We’ve got to be able to fight through that. And at the end of the day, we do have to clean up the turnover battle.”
“But we kept it to a one-possession game at the end,” Poulakidas continued. “So you can chalk it up to a couple of things, not just that.”
The Mavericks outscored New Orleans 34-26 in the fourth quarter. They shot 35.3% from the field and 10-of-49 from 3-point range, and they went 27-of-32 from the free-throw line. Zaccharie Risacher finished with 6 points on 3-of-11 shooting and missed all 7 of his 3-point attempts. P.J. Washington Jr. went 0-of-5 with 7 rebounds, and Caleb Martin went 0-of-5 and finished minus-13.
May gave the Pelicans credit for their physicality. He tied Risacher’s off night to the defense, including Herbert Jones, and to the respect Risacher is starting to draw.
“Obviously Herb and those guys are great defenders. And so, yeah, I’m going to give the Pelicans credit. I thought they played with really solid physicality,” May said. “So anytime you have an off night like Zach did tonight, I think the defense has a lot to do with it. Also, it’s probably part of the respect that he’s garnering now.”
“But these were very, very valuable reps for all of our guys, and obviously to not shoot well, turn it over, and still be in position to take this thing at the end is a testament to being able to figure out different ways to compete and win,” May continued.
Dallas took 49 3-pointers, and de Larrea said most of them were the shots the Mavericks want.
“We want to play fast, to shoot threes, to try to create advantages in the first seconds, and I think most of them are good threes,” de Larrea said. “That’s what we’re looking for, and if the shooter is alone, we have to take the shots.”
Fears led New Orleans with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 5 assists, and 3 steals in 20:18. Zion Williamson made all 5 of his shots for 10 points off the bench and finished plus-14. Karlo Matković scored 11 on 3-of-4 shooting from deep, and Jaron Pierre Jr. added 10. Derik Queen grabbed 11 rebounds, and Yves Missi had 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley held out DeAndre Jordan and Dejounte Murray by coach’s decision.
Tobi Lawal, John Poulakidas Lead Dallas Mavericks’ Young Group
Lawal scored 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting and went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in 23:29. He added 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks took Lawal 48th overall in June.
Dallas’ front office scouted Lawal before the draft, and May has watched him get better and better since he arrived.
“He’s a competitor. We’ve competed against him. Obviously, he was scouted by the front office, but he’s gotten better. I think his awareness for how he can impact games continues to improve,” May said. “Obviously, the six fouls was tough, because we needed him in there at the end, but he’s gotten better and better. He’s a hard worker, he’s a great guy, and as you can see, his teammates are really, really pulling for him because he’s doing so much for us.”
Lawal’s goal every time he steps on the floor is to bring energy and help the Mavericks win. He opened his availability by thanking God.
“First of all, I’d like to give glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, I’m nothing,” Lawal said. “And I feel like any time I try to come out there, I just want to try and find ways to bring energy and help us win. So that’s really my main focus, and execute what coach is telling us to do. That’s really it.”
Dallas played better once it settled down and moved the ball, according to Lawal, who said the Mavericks have to rebound better.
“I feel like when we settled down, like we started moving the ball, we started playing good basketball, but before that, I feel like we were turning the ball over a bit too much, and we have to rebound better,” Lawal said. “But other than that, I feel like we’re just jelling a bit better, and understanding, like, just how to play with each other.”
Poulakidas went 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range in 25:33. He grabbed 4 rebounds, 3 of them offensive, and finished plus-8. May was most pleased with the way Poulakidas stuck his nose in on the glass in the second half.
“I thought he mixed it up on glass. He came up with some loose basketballs late in the game and just finding different ways to impact it. To be honest with the shots, he’s 4-for-8 from three. I thought his teammates found him,” May said. “He was open, they made good plays, and he obviously knocked them down. But I was most pleased with him sticking his nose in and playing with some physicality and some grit.”
“Three or four times in the second half, it felt like he was in the mix, and we got extra possessions because of that effort and fight,” May added.
Poulakidas pointed to the trip home from Macao, with an 18-hour flight and a 12- or 13-hour time difference, as part of what the young players had to fight through.
“I saw resiliency. We were all on a 18-hour flight less than 48 hours ago and with a 12- or 13-hour time difference,” Poulakidas said. “Just us young guys, we were always looking forward to the opportunity. And this league, you gotta get it, you gotta get it how you can as a young guy. So we knew we were gonna handle a little bit of adversity, knowing that, like I said, we were just 12-hour difference away.”
“But I’m proud of the guys and how we fought back tonight,” Poulakidas continued. “Just goes back to, like I said, our resiliency.”
Seth Lundy added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and was a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. Tarik Biberovic scored 8 on 3-of-12 shooting, and Jorge Diaz-Graham had 5 points in 12:20. Among the starters, Naji Marshall scored 7 and Max Christie had 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Dallas’ bench outscored its starters 70-27.
Lawal guarded Jones and Trey Murphy III on switches. Murphy finished 2-of-8 from the field and 0-of-5 from 3-point range, while Jones went 3-of-3 for 7 points. Lawal wants to be the best defender he can be.
“Definitely a great experience, like that’s really what I’m trying to do. I want to be the best defender I possibly can,” Lawal said. “I’m not going to say the best in the league yet because I’m not there yet, but hopefully one day I am. But I don’t care who it is, like as long as I can guard anyone, I’m going to learn and I’m going to be relentless too, so I’m going to keep coming back.”
The Mavericks close the preseason against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT. May said before Wednesday’s game that the finale would be closer to a dress rehearsal once the medical staff decides who plays. Dallas opens the regular season Oct. 21 at Houston, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
