3 Things That Mattered From Pelicans' Win vs. Mavericks

The New Orleans Pelicans grabbed their second preseason win with a 101-97 road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

With the regular season less than a week away, the Pelicans are using these games to experiment with lineups and fine-tune schemes before the year starts. Coach Jamahl Mosley used his third different starting lineup in as many games Wednesday night, bringing guys like Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III off the bench.

New Orleans controlled much of the first half as the Mavericks rested many key players, including star forward Cooper Flagg and guard Kyrie Irving. Dallas returned this week from a two-game stint in China and opted to rest its stars before their final preseason game on Friday night. The Pelicans played their second straight game without starting point guard Dejounte Murray, who was held out to recover from a toe injury.

Here are some key takeaways from the Pelicans' Wednesday night victory.

1. Jeremiah Fears is the Future

Fears earned the starting nod in Murray’s absence, and the birthday boy didn't disappoint. The former first-round pick celebrated his 20th birthday on Wednesday with a team-high 16 points, five assists and three steals.

He was relentless on both ends of the court, applying defensive pressure and attacking the rim with constant downhill drives. Fears looks not only stronger but more confident in his abilities this season, which will only mean good things for him and the Pelicans. He reportedly gained about 10 pounds of muscle this offseason, and after three preseason games, the results are showing.

Mosley has shown through the preseason that he isn’t dead set on specific lineups, tweaking both the starters and bench in the first few games. Fears probably won’t start the season in the first five, provided Murray’s toe injury doesn’t linger, but his strong preseason play will make it hard to keep him out of the closing five and may eventually hand him the keys to the franchise in the future.

2. Defensive Ddisruption

One positive stat from a dismal season last year was the Pelicans' ability to create turnovers. They ranked top 10 in steals last season and, so far in the preseason, look even better. New Orleans finished with 14 steals Wednesday night, turning them into 27 points off turnovers.

With the Pelicans still struggling from distance—they shot just 30% from three on Wednesday—getting easy buckets from turnovers will be pivotal to their success this season. New Orleans is tied for fourth in the preseason with 12.7 steals per game, and they played two of those games without Murray.

Coach Mosley has consistently stressed defensive aggression throughout this offseason, and the Pelicans are showing positive signs that they will be relentless defensively this season.

3. Matkovic Mania

The one thing the Pelicans have long desired alongside star forward Zion Williamson is a stretch big who can draw defenses away from the paint so Williamson can operate.

Karlo Matkovic has steadily improved his outside shooting, and he proved that Wednesday night by going 3/4 from the three-point line. Matkovic finished with 11 points in 18 minutes after getting the starting nod. The former second-round pick shot 42% from three last season and is shooting 50% from distance during the preseason.

Matkovic represents a different style of big man on the Pelicans roster. He doesn’t have Derik Queen's offensive style or Yves Missi's defensive prowess, but he's a rim-running big who can open driving lanes for others because he can shoot from outside.

Paired with Williamson, he's probably the best lineup for the Pelicans, and if he can consistently make his outside shot, the coaching staff will have to find ways to keep him on the court.

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