Zion Williamson poured in 24 points, scoring 10 of them in a pivotal two-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, and the New Orleans Pelicans edged the Dallas Mavericks 119-113 on Dec. 22, 2025, in New Orleans. The victory stretched New Orleans’ longest winning streak of the season to five games.
The Pelicans, who opened the year 3-22, have not enjoyed a run this long since 2022.
Fourth-quarter turnaround
New Orleans entered the final period trailing 87-79 but stormed back with a 38-19 surge over the first 10:24. After the Mavericks closed to 105-103, Williamson converted five baskets on six possessions—four on powerful right-side drives—to create a 117-106 cushion with 1:37 remaining.
Dallas answered with seven consecutive points, trimming the margin to 117-113 with 18.1 seconds left, before Trey Murphy III iced the game at the foul line with 10.4 seconds to go.
Supporting cast
Derik Queen finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, while Saddiq Bey contributed 19 points and seven boards.
Mavericks’ leaders
Anthony Davis delivered a season-high 35 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas. Klay Thompson, coming off the bench, added 20 points, knocking down five of his first nine three-point attempts.
Davis and Thompson fueled a 63-57 halftime lead for the Mavericks. Davis tallied 22 first-half points on 10-for-16 shooting, repeatedly exploiting the Pelicans’ smaller interior defenders and beating the buzzer with an uncontested three-pointer.
The Pelicans will seek a sixth straight win when they continue their homestand later this week, while the Mavericks aim to regroup on the road.
Source: ESPN
