Pelicans at Mavericks
Not even the healthy return of future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is enough to kick-start the Dallas Mavericks offense. The Mavericks are last in the NBA in scoring at an average of 91.5 points and will try to avoid a ninth consecutive loss when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
Dallas is enduring the longest slide of the Mark Cuban era and the franchise's worst run since a 15-game losing streak in 1997-98. The Mavericks allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers to connect 20 times from 3-point range in a 128-90 loss on Saturday and are being outscored by an average of 16.4 points during the losing streak. The Pelicans are no strangers to eight-game slides after opening the season 0-8 but are turning things around with a 6-3 mark over the last nine contests. New Orleans made a one-game stop on the west coast for a date with the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and saw a four-game winning streak come to an end in a 119-104 setback despite 31 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks from star power forward Anthony Davis.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (6-11): Davis is averaging 33 points, 10.2 boards and 3.2 blocks in the last five games but felt like he and his teammates needed a better effort on the glass in Portland, where they were outrebounded 61-46 and outscored in the paint 64-34. "We've got to box out," Davis told reporters. "Some of them you can't control when it just came off wrong, but most of them you've got to box out, put a body on someone." Davis reached the 30-point plateau for the 11th time this season and posted his seventh 30-10 effort in Friday's setback.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (2-13): Nowitzki was one of several key Dallas players on the injury report until Wednesday, when he made his return from an eight-game absence due to an Achilles injury. The 38-year-old led the team in scoring with 15 points on Friday, but his presence alone was not enough to keep the Mavericks from losing the last two games by a combined 58 points. "It was a horrible performance by us and a great performance by them," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after Friday's setback. "We simply must play better. We must compete better. It's very disappointing."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks PG Deron Williams (calf) returned from a four-game absence on Friday but was limited to four points in 15 minutes.
2. Pelicans PG Jrue Holiday is averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 assists in five games since making his season debut.
3. The Southwest Division rivals split four meetings last season, with New Orleans winning once at Dallas.