The Pelicans beat the Mavericks for the first time in ten tries and win 3 in a row for the first time all season, putting them two games over .500 for the first time since late November.  The win puts the Pels back into 9th place in the West, one game ahead of OKC and 3 games out of the 8th seed.  The winning streak comes at a good time as the Pels have 5 more in a row at home where they are 15-4.

The Pelicans led for a majority of the game, but not by much, and almost lost it in the 4th, the only quarter that Dallas won.  It was a very entertaining, back and forth game as each team seemed to have an answer when the other went on a run.  There were 5 lead changes in the last 2 minutes as Monta Ellis almost beat the Pels single handedly (36 points on 16-27 from the field), but with clutch buckets from Tyreke and Gordon, as well as some game-winning effort and FT shooting from Davis, the team held on.

Some notes on the game:

• It was a great team win, as the Pels had 5 players in scoring double digits, 3 with double-doubles, 27 assists on 40 field goals, and only 10 turnovers.
• Anderson had 14 huge points in the 2nd quarter alone, helping the Pels to a 36pt quarter (keeping pace with Dallas’34).
• Chandler Parsons, who had 20pts in both the previous matchups, was held to just 6pts on 6 shots and was largely a non-factor in the game.
• The Pelicans executed very well out of timeouts and inbounds plays, a category they typically excel in, but it made all the difference tonight.
• After heading into the 4th with a 5pt deficit, the Mavericks went on a 15-8 run to retake the lead 99-97.  The Pelicans had stopped moving the ball and things started to tilt Dallas’ way, but the Pels ended the game on a 12-7 run and did not wilt under pressure.

Before the game I mentioned a couple things the Pels needed to key in on to get a win, and they hit on all 3:

• Defensive Emphasis – There wasn’t a ton of defense this game, but the Pels held a team that averages 107.9ppg to 106, and got stops when they needed them, including a steal on a crucial inbounds play with 11 seconds left.
• PG Play – The Pels really held their own here.  In 42mins Tyreke Evans recorded a season high 12 assists to go along with 24pts (11-19FG) and only 3TO.  The Pels also held Dallas backup guards Devin Harris and J.J. Barea to 1-10 from the field.
• Anderson had a great bounce back performance.  18pts on 6-10 from the field (2-3 from deep).

Next up for the Pelicans is a Monday night matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers 7CT at the Smoothie King Center.

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