The Dallas Mavericks have been involved in numerous close games recently.
Their fortunes turned around after a decisive victory over San Antonio, followed by a narrow two-point win against Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Dallas will aim for a third consecutive victory when they host the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.
The Mavericks’ two recent wins were preceded by a four-game losing streak, with losses by margins of one, two, three, and two points. While the 110-93 win over the Spurs was more comfortable, the 121-119 victory against the Thunder came down to the wire.
Currently, the defending Western Conference champions have a .500 record through 14 games as they work on integrating former Warriors All-Star guard Klay Thompson with Kyrie Irving and star guard Luka Doncic.
Doncic, who has a bruised right knee, missed the game against Oklahoma City and is questionable for the matchup against the Pelicans.
New Orleans, on the other hand, is coming off a close game of their own. The Pelicans took a two-point lead against the visiting Lakers with 2:09 remaining on Saturday night but managed to score only two more points and lost 104-99.
The Pelicans were outscored 29-15 in the third quarter after leading by 10 points at halftime.
New Orleans has little room for error due to the absence of key players, including second-leading scorer Zion Williamson (22.7 points per game) and their top three ball-handling guards: Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Jose Alvarado.
In their absence, young players like guard Brandon Boston Jr., who is on a two-way contract, and rookie center Yves Missi have stepped up. Boston has averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in his last seven starts, while Missi has contributed 7.0 points and 7.6 rebounds over the Pelicans’ last nine games.
McCollum, recovering from a right adductor strain, practiced on a limited basis on Monday and appears close to returning, though he will not play on Tuesday.
