Saddiq Bey scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 101-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center. Trey Murphy III secured the final rebound as Cooper Flagg’s potential game-winning shot bounced off the rim with two seconds remaining.
Jeremiah Fears and Jose Alvarado each contributed 13 points off the bench, helping New Orleans sweep a back-to-back after defeating Charlotte the night before. The Pelicans, playing without Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole, relied on their seventh starting lineup in eight games.
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 20 points and nine rebounds, marking his first time as the team’s top scorer. P.J. Washington added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, which suffered its third consecutive loss and remains at 2-6.
The Mavericks debuted a new starting lineup, moving Flagg from point guard to small forward and giving D’Angelo Russell his first start at point guard this season. Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since March 2024, scoring 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in 21 minutes. Russell finished with nine points on 3-for-10 shooting.
New Orleans dominated the boards with a 56-44 edge but struggled on second-chance points, falling 18-10 in that category. Dallas rallied after missing its first seven shots and trailed by as many as 13 in the first half.
The Pelicans improve to 2-6 and will visit San Antonio on Saturday. The Mavericks, also 2-6, travel to Memphis on Friday.
