Ballsy and unexpected coaching decision earns Mavericks win over Pelicans

Noah Weber

New Orleans Pelicans v Dallas Mavericks / Sam Hodde/GettyImages

On Monday afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks squared off with the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavs were 4-2 heading into this game, and winning Monday's game was massive due to the fact that they lost to New Orleans on Saturday night. This was a loss in which Dallas lost to an undermanned team for the second time in the homestand.

Dallas got Dereck Lively II back from his ankle injury on Monday, and he helped push the Mavs to a 125-120 win. Lively II finished with six points and 12 rebounds. His impact was definitely felt, as he continues to be one of the most important players on the team, but Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. were the ones who stole the show.

Ballsy and unexpected coaching decision earns Mavericks win over Pelicans

Hardaway Jr. and Irving combined for 83 points, marking the second time in history that two Mavericks teammates have both scored over 40 points. Both Irving and Hardaway Jr. have been playing out of their mind as of late, and fans should be excited about this as they are doing this without Luka Doncic.

Even though the win will be remembered for Hardaway Jr. and Irving's dominance, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd made a massive coaching decision late in the game that worked wonders for Dallas.

With 17.1 seconds remaining in the game, the Pelicans were inbounding the ball. The score was 121-119, and Dallas was winning, so New Orleans likely hoped to hold for the last shot and go for the win or tie.

Instead of giving the Pelicans a chance to win or tie, Kidd subbed out Lively II and had Maxi Kleber foul Zion Williamson as soon as he got the ball. Williamson was 5-9 from the free-throw line before Kleber fouled him, and Kidd was betting on a miss.

Right on cue, Williamson went 1-2 from the free-throw line, and rather than risk allowing a bucket, Kidd's risky decision to have Kleber foul Williamson worked out.

Kidd is someone who has been under plenty of turmoil from fans as of late, but his late-game decision from today should be praised.

For all the latest on Jason Kidd, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.