Luka Doncic returned to the lineup with a game-high 26 points, Klay Thompson added 19, and Kyrie Irving chipped in 18 as the Dallas Mavericks cruised past the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 132-91 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.
Doncic, who missed his first game of the season in Dallas’ victory at Oklahoma City on Sunday due to a knee injury, shot 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. He drilled two step-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter, extending Dallas’ lead to 111-75.
Trey Murphy III, playing in just his fourth game this season due to hamstring issues, scored a season-high 19 points to lead the Pelicans.
New Orleans, missing five rotation players, was also without two-time All-Star Zion Williamson, who sat out his sixth consecutive game and is out indefinitely.
The Mavericks won their third straight, finishing with their highest point total of the season and largest margin of victory.
The Pelicans have lost 11 of their last 13 games.
Pelicans: Rookie Yves Missi had a game-high nine rebounds, all in the first half.
Mavericks: In the second year of the NBA Cup, the Mavericks used a special tournament court at home for the first time. Their court last year wasn’t used for either home group-play game because of what the team called “manufacturing issues.”
The Pelicans cut Dallas’ lead to 81-65 late in the third period before Irving followed a 25-foot 3-pointer with another seconds later, pulling up from 29 feet.
The Mavericks outscored the Pelicans 66-34 in the paint, their largest margin this season.
The Pelicans will complete a road back-to-back on Wednesday, visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had their season-opening 15-game winning streak stopped in Boston on Tuesday. The Mavericks begin a three-game trip on Friday at Denver, where they lost to the Nuggets 122-120 on Nov. 10.