Pelicans truly miss Mavs forward Naji Marshall

NEW ORLEANS — While Naji Marshall has been a big plus for the Dallas Mavericks, the New Orleans Pelicans truly miss the fifth-year forward.

Marshall went undrafted out of Xavier University in 2020, but was soon signed by the Pelicans and played for New Orleans until he inked a three-year, $27 million contract with the Mavs last summer. Marshall averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds with the Pelicans last season, and also shot 46.3 percent from the field and a career-high 38.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

“First of all, I’m proud of Naji,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “His maturity, his growth — he was a huge part of our success here and we miss him.

“But we’re all proud of what he’s doing, his accomplishments. He signed a big contract this season. We congratulated him.”

Marshall was the last member of the Mavs’ starting lineup introduced before Wednesday’s game, and he received a huge ovation from the crowd. Also, during a timeout with 8:42 remaining in the first half, a video tribute dedicated to Marshall was shown on the overhead scoreboard.

“I think when you talk about Marshall, the versatility, a true pro,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He loves to play the game.

“He can play a lot of the different positions that we ask him from starting to coming off the bench, and then his ability to score, and defensively his toughness. So, we’re very lucky to have him on our side.”

Marshall is averaging 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season, and is shooting a career-high 50.9 percent from the field. Green is confident Marshall will have a major impact on the Mavs this season and beyond.

“He’s going to be a force for years to come,” Green said. “And I’m really proud to see how he’s been handling a bigger role and really being instrumental on a really good team.”

Marshall finished Wednesday’s game with seven points, a season-high 10 assists and two steals in 30 minutes.

IRONY OF THE SEASON’S MIDWAY POINT: This marks the second straight year the Mavs reached the midway point of the season with a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. And those two games occurred on the same date.

On Jan. 15, 2024, the Mavs defeated the Pelicans, 125-120, on the 41^st game of the season in a game played in Dallas. And two Mavs players produced an epic performance in that game.

Mavs guard Kyrie Irving finished that contest with 42 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes. Irving was 13-of-28 from the field, 3-of-9 from three-point land and 13-of-15 from the free throw line.

Also, Mavs guard Tim Hardaway Jr. tallied 41 points in 41 minutes, and was 11-of-23 from the floor, 9-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc, and 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Ironically, Luka Dončić missed that game with a right ankle sprain, while that was Dereck Lively II’s first game after he sat out five contests with a left ankle sprain. Lively finished that game with six points and 12 rebounds. Both Dončić and Lively missed Wednesday’s game.

The Mavs finished last season with a 24-17 record at the midway point of the season, and this year they sport a 22-19 record at the season’s halfway point.

BRIEFLY: After Tuesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets, guard Kyrie Irving seriously contemplated playing in Wednesday’s game in New Orleans. Irving was initially listed as doubtful for the game, but was later ruled out. The game against the Nuggets was Irving’s first since he missed five games with a lumbar back sprain. So, playing both ends of a back-to-back at that juncture would have been asking too much of Irving. “I think, more or less, the coming back from the injury,” coach Jason Kidd said is the primary reason Irving didn’t play Wednesday. “He had a good workout this evening. So, he’ll be ready to go the next game (Friday at home against Oklahoma City).” . . . Kidd said he didn’t think the injury to center Dereck Lively II will lead to him missing a lot of games. Lively sprained his right ankle during Tuesday’s game against Denver . . . New Orleans is gearing up to host this year’s Super Bowl, which will be played here on Feb. 9.

X: @DwainPrice