New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks

Pelicans overtake Mavs 107-91, answer blowout loss to Dallas

The Pelicans missed their first eight shots and started 2 of 20 before going 13 of 19 (68%) in the third quarter and outscoring Dallas 63-43 after halftime for their fourth win in six games following a 3-16 start.

The Mavericks shot 68.7% in a 139-107 win to start the home-and-home set, but surpassed the 26 misses from that outing early in the third quarter.

Luka Doncic, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds, was just 7 of 20 from the field as Dallas finished at 41% (32 of 79). The Pelicans shot 42% (37 of 89).

“We had to fix the matchups, switch some things around,” said rookie Herbert Jones, who spent some time defending Doncic while Garrett Temple did the most to frustrate the Dallas superstar. “We knew that they had made a bunch of tough shots. We just came out ready to compete on the defensive end and make it super tough on them. I feel like we did that tonight.”

Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Willy Hernangomez had 12 points and 14 boards. Ingram finished with 12 assists and eight rebounds.

Devonte Graham and Jones scored 13 points apiece. Temple added nine rebounds to go with his pesky first-half defense on Doncic, who missed all six 3-point shots and committed seven turnovers.

“We started to miss shots. We started to hang our heads,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “That just can’t happen. We’re not going to be a team that shoots 70% again. We said it before the game. New Orleans is going to play hard. And they played hard. They wanted to win more than we did tonight.”

Dallas was again without Kristaps Porzingis because of another injury, a left knee contusion. The oft-injured Latvian missed five games early in the season with a back issue.

Jalen Brunson scored 16 points for Dallas, and Maxi Kleber had 13 points and nine rebounds.

New Orleans trailed 48-44 at halftime but took control with a 26-8 run in the third quarter. The lead reached 17 early in the fourth, and Dallas couldn't get closer than nine points in a third consecutive home loss.

Ingram had five assists in the third quarter, when he scored seven points along with Jones and Valanciunas had eight.

“Everyone feels a part of the game when the ball is moving and hopping,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “I’m proud of the turnaround ... and with the resilience of our team coming back and winning on their home floor.”

TIP-INS

Pelicans: Their 14 points in the first quarter were the fewest for a Dallas opponent in any quarter this season. New Orleans shot 20% (5 of 25), but Dallas wasn't much better (7 of 20, 35%) in settling for a 19-14 lead. ... Trey Murphy III made all three of his 3-pointers for nine points.

Mavericks: G Frank Ntilikina was active after missing four games with a right calf strain. ... Porzingis missed 47 games in his first two Dallas seasons, playoffs included, with various injuries and because the club often sat him on the second night of back-to-backs. ... Former Maverick Jerry Stackhouse was in the crowd. The Vanderbilt coach's team plays at SMU on Saturday.

ROAD WARRIORS

Of the four victories in the current surge by the Pelicans, three were on the road against Western Conference playoff teams from last season in Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas.

“We're going to have good games. We're going to have some bad games,” Ingram said. “As long as we continue to learn and adjust, it's encouraging.”

HARDAWAY OFF THE BENCH

Dallas guard Tim Hardaway Jr. went to the locker room briefly in the first half after injuring his right quadriceps but was back before halftime.

Hardaway scored 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting in his second game coming off the bench after Reggie Bullock replaced him as a starter, with Kidd trying something different with a cold-shooting team.

UP NEXT

Pelicans: At Houston on Sunday.

Mavericks: Memphis at home Saturday to finish a back-to-back. It's the first of two meetings between the teams in a span of five days.

Regular Season Series

DAL leads series 2-1