NBA 2018-19: 3 Takeaways from the New Orleans Pelicans' win over the Dallas Mavericks
Final Score: New Orleans Pelicans beat Dallas Mavericks 132-106
Stats:
Mavericks- 45 rebounds, 26 assists, 4 blocks and 7 steals
Pelicans- 46 rebounds, 36 assists, 6 blocks and 12 steals
The New Orleans Pelicans improved to a .500 record as they reached 13-13 with a huge 26 point win over inform side Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center. The two bigs for the Pelicans shone as they contributed 27 points apiece as they helped collect 60 points in the paint to the Mavericks 48.
DeAndre Jordan struggled massively against the Pelicans as he only scored 2 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the 24 minutes he played as he just could not find his rhythm at any time throughout the game.
The two sides have recently been heading in opposite directions, as the Pelicans have struggled to capitalise on a good start to the season with a 4-6 stretch over the past 10 games while the Mavericks were 8-2 in their last 10 heading into this matchup. Although a blow out second quarter saw New Orleans take a 16 point lead at the main break, one they never looked like letting go throughout the second half.
Now we will go on to the three main takeaways from this game in New Orleans.
#1 Player of the Game - Julius Randle
Julius Randle had an exceptional outing in only his sixth game in the starting lineup for the New Orleans Pelicans. With 27 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 68 percent from the field, Randle was well and truly the difference in the Pelicans 26-point route of the Dallas Mavericks.
The shift from sixth man to starter worked wonders in the absence of Nikola Mirotic who has now missed two games with an illness. Randle has been putting up numbers off the bench all year, averaging just under a double-double at 18.6 points per game along with 9.3 rebounds per game in just 26 minutes.
Randle being fed into the starting lineup gave star Anthony Davis a chance to relax on his rebounding duties, only grabbing 4 boards - nine below average - as Randle did his best to reach every loose ball.