It’s only one game, but Nerlens Noel did a lot to answer any questions Mavs fans may have had about the trade that brought him from Philadelphia earlier this week. In his first game as a Maverick, he finished one point away from a double-double in the 96-83 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
New Orleans came out on fire in the first quarter. The Pelicans scored 30 points in the first frame while shooting 50 percent from the floor. The first half basically belonged to Anthony Davis. Davis finished with 12 points in the first quarter and 27 points for the half.
The second half was a different story, though. Thanks to some good Dallas defense and some poor New Orleans shooting, the Pelicans only scored 34 points in the second half. Noel was a big part of that with his defense down low on Davis and DeMarcus Cousins.
After scoring 27 points in the first half, Davis was held to 12 points in the second half. Meanwhile the Mavericks played extremely well in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. Dallas shot a blistering 61 percent in the final frame and 67 percent from behind the arc. The three point shot was crucial in this game as it turned out. The Mavericks, shooting 26 three-pointers, knocked down 12 of them. The Pelicans, on the other hand, shot 24 and only made five.
Harrison Barnes led the team with 19 points while Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18. Noel had nine points and 10 rebounds for the Mavs, who snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. They will face the Miami Heat at home on Monday night next.
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