Sophia Michaels
The Pelicans and Mavericks met in Dallas on Wednesday night in the marquee game in the NBA as it was the first matchup between Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson, two young stars that are expected to define the next decade-plus in the league.
The game lived up to the billing in an overtime thriller in which the Mavs emerged victorious, 127-123, following the lead of their two stars as Doncic, despite still appearing to have pain in his left thumb, had 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Kristaps Porzingis had 34 points and 12 boards on excellent efficiency as he continues to regain his All-Star form.
Zion had another 21-point outing to keep his streak of 20-point games alive, but on his first back-to-back of the season, looked to be showing the effects of that new challenge in battling through fatigue. Lonzo Ball was unconscious from three on the night, hitting seven from deep to finish with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans in scoring with 27.
In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, the two teams traded leads and big shots, including a pair of huge threes in the final minute. First, it was Luka Doncic dishing a slick no-look pass to Seth Curry in the corner to take a two-point lead with 30 seconds to go.
After a Pellies miss and Curry splitting a pair of free throws, New Orleans needed a three to tie and got it in the form of a preposterous shot by Nicolo Melli, who managed to sneak his toes behind the line in the corner and drill a three over the strong contest from Porzingis.
Kristaps would miss a midrange jumper for the win, meaning we were headed to overtime, where Doncic and Porzingis combined for the daggers, with this pick-and-roll beauty for a dunk and later a key Doncic tip-out rebound and Kristaps free throws to put the game on ice.
All in all, it was a terrific regular season meeting between two teams that figure to do battle in the West for some time thanks to their young stars. This time, the Mavs edged out the win as New Orleans has cooled off of late after a hot stretch to get back into contention.
Written by: Uproxx
