Dallas Mavericks' concerning Achilles heel struck again in loss to Pelicans

Noah Weber

Jan 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Before Saturday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Mavericks were 4-1 on the seven-game homestand to start the new year.

They were coming off a big win against the New York Knicks in which Kyrie Irving dominated, finishing with 44 points and 10 assists, but there was one concerning loss in the homestand as well.

Dallas lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 120-103 on Tuesday night, and the Grizzlies were without both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. The Mavs played down to their competition and lost a game in which they probably should have won.

Dallas Mavericks' concerning Achilles heel struck again in loss to Pelicans

On Saturday night, the same thing happened again.

The Mavs lost to the Pelicans 118-108, and New Orleans was without Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and CJ McCollum.

These types of losses are inexcusable, especially to a team that they will likely be extremely close with in the playoff standings as the end of the year rolls around, and the Mavs must find a way to not come out flat against teams that they should be beating.

The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic in this game, but this is still a game that they would have liked to win against an undermanned team.

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd attributed part of the loss being due to the fact that the Pelicans were more physical than they were. He also talked about Dallas having "tired bodies" and being undersized.

After the loss to Memphis, Kidd mentioned that the energy wasn't there heading into the game, but said he "thought the energy was good" for tonight's game.

Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., and Tim Hardaway Jr. did their parts, as they each finished with 33, 24, and 24 points respectively, but the Mavs were dominated in the paint and on the glass. Irving was also not very efficient, and he wasn't able to take over in the fourth quarter as he usually does.

The Mavericks have another chance at the Pelicans again on Monday.

For all the latest on Kyrie Irving, Jason Kidd, and the Dallas Mavericks, 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.