DALLAS, Oct. 14, 2026 — The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks 101-97 in a preseason game Wednesday night at American Airlines Center, withstanding a late Dallas push to improve to 2-1 in exhibition play. The game was Dallas’s preseason home opener, and the loss dropped the Mavericks to 1-2.
Both teams played with depleted or experimental lineups. Dallas did not use Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr., or Daniel Gafford. Irving and Flagg were rested, and six other players were ruled out before tip-off. The Mavericks opened with Naji Marshall, Max Christie, Zaccharie Risacher, P.J. Washington and Moussa Cisse. Cisse left with a left ankle tweak in the first half and sat the rest of the game.
New Orleans was missing a starter of its own: Dejounte Murray sat out a second straight game with a toe injury. For the third consecutive game, first-year head coach Jamahl Mosley tried a new starting five, this time Jeremiah Fears, Bennedict Mathurin, Saddiq Bey, Karlo Matkovic and Yves Missi.
How it unfolded
The Pelicans controlled most of the night. They led 24-18 after one quarter and 56-45 at halftime, and Dallas’s continued turnovers and missed open threes let New Orleans push its lead back into double digits, taking a 75-63 advantage into the fourth. New Orleans led for 89% of the game, with its largest lead at 14 points.
Dallas won the fourth quarter 34-26 and steadily cut into the deficit, with the push coming largely from deep reserves after most rotation players had finished for the night. The Mavericks did not draw even.
Leading performers
Fears led New Orleans with 16 points, five assists and three steals in 20 minutes, shooting 6-for-11 from the field. He was playing on his 20th birthday. Matkovic scored 11 points, hitting 3 of 4 from three-point range, and Zion Williamson scored 10 on 5-for-5 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench. Derik Queen added six points and 11 rebounds.
For Dallas, Tobi Lawal and John Poulakidas each scored 16 points. Lawal needed only six field-goal attempts and went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line in 23 minutes. Seth Lundy added 13 points, and rookie Sergio de Larrea had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 30 minutes. Washington and Marshall each played fewer than 20 minutes and combined for 8 points. Risacher started and scored six points, but he shot 3-for-11 and missed all seven of his three-point attempts.
By the numbers
Ball security decided much of the outcome. Dallas committed 27 turnovers to New Orleans’s 21 and shot 36% from the field (30-of-84) and 20% from three (10-of-49). The Pelicans shot 45% overall but made only 25 of 38 free throws, while Dallas went 27-for-32 at the line.
The Mavericks did generate extra chances. They grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and outscored New Orleans 27-10 on second-chance points. Dallas also forced 21 turnovers and scored 16 points off them. In his postgame remarks, the Dallas coach described some of the trouble as self-inflicted, pointing to illegal screens and too little variety in the offense.
Context and what’s next
Preseason results carry limited weight, and heavy roster rest on the Dallas side makes conclusions about either team’s regular-season outlook difficult. The Mavericks host Atlanta on Friday and then open the regular season at Houston on Oct. 21. New Orleans finishes its four-game preseason schedule Friday at home against Washington.
