Both teams will be at less than full strength when the visiting New Orleans Pelicans face the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Dallas will be missing Anthony Davis (left calf strain), Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) and Dante Exum (right knee management), while New Orleans will be without forward Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans announced Tuesday that Williamson, 25, would be out at least seven to 10 days after being diagnosed with a left hamstring strain.
Williamson, who has battled hamstring injuries throughout his career, is averaging 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists — all team-leading figures.
“I’m sure it’s tough for him,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He’s worked his tail off to be available for his teammates. So far, he individually is statistically having some success on the floor, so it’s tough.”
New Orleans opened the season with six straight losses before beating the visiting Charlotte Hornets 116-112 on Tuesday.
Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and Jose Alvarado added 18 for the Pelicans, who closed the game with an 11-0 run to seal their first victory.
“The win solidifies all the work that they’ve put in, everything that we’re teaching,” Green said. “Sometimes it can be difficult when we know that our processes are there, we’re teaching the right things, guys are working at it, and they don’t get the results. So this confirms what they’re doing and how hard we’re working.”
New Orleans’ bench — led by Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, Derik Queen and Karlo Matkovic — contributed 62 points.
Queen, the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s draft, continued to impress, compiling 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals in 18 minutes.
New Orleans has lost four of its past five meetings against Dallas, which is looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Mavericks fell to 2-5 with a 110-102 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday. P.J. Washington had season highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, while Max Christie scored 17 points.
With big men Davis and Lively sidelined, Houston outrebounded the Mavericks 54-40.
“It’s got to be a committee (rebounding the ball),” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We can be small at times, so we’ve got to come in and everybody has to box out. In this league, everybody crashes (the boards), so we’ve got to do a better job rebounding the ball.”
Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, delivered mixed results. He scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half before being held scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in the second half.
While Flagg has shown flashes of brilliance in his first seven games, he has struggled to find a consistent rhythm. The 18-year-old Duke product is averaging 13.6 points while shooting 38.8% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range.
“It’s a tough league,” Flagg said. “It’s a transition. Obviously, I haven’t made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I want to, but I’m going to keep trusting the work. I’m not worried about anything. Got to keep being aggressive and trust the work. I think I’ll be fine.”
