Mavs-Pelicans preview: In-season tournament resumes with high stakes

NEW ORLEANS – If the Mavericks have aspirations of being in Las Vegas in December, Tuesday night’s rematch with the New Orleans Pelicans is the proverbial must-win game.

They decimated the Pelicans on Sunday 136-124. Every win is important, but the second meeting also is part of the NBA’s in-season tournament schedule.

To review, there are six in-season tournament groups, three in each conference. The Mavericks are in the Western Conference’s Group B with the Pelicans, Houston, Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Mavericks lost at Denver and beat the Clippers at American Airlines Center, leaving them 1-1 in the tournament. Tuesday’s game will either give them a chance to finish 3-1 in the tournament, which might be good enough to make the quarterfinals.

A loss makes them 1-2 and eliminates them from any shot at the quarterfinals. Or the semis and finals that will be in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and 9, respectfully.

Remember, players on the winning team of the in-season tournament all will pocket $500,000.

So there is some incentive, on top of just wanting to win games that also count on the regular-season ledger. The Mavericks are 8-2 and that’s far more important in the big picture.

“We’re not satisfied,” Irving said. “We know we won’t win the championship off of the first 10 games. It’s no time to be super-happy about these wins. We know what’s coming down the line. And also how important this next game is for the in-season tournament.”

The Mavericks will finish their in-season tournament group play at AAC against Houston on Nov. 28.

Here’s what to look for in the rematch against the Pelicans:

• The Mavericks would like to keep making hay while the sun shines. The Pelicans are without C.J. McCollum, their ringleader who averages 21 points and six assists per game. They also might be without Herb Jones, another starter who often is assigned with guarding Luka Dončić. The Pelicans are frightfully thin without those two.
• Interesting numbers from Sunday’s win over New Orleans: The Mavericks scored 60 points on 53 shots from three-point land. They scored 60 points on 49 shots from inside the arc. Both numbers are fantastic. And they show every spot on the court is important on the offensive end.
• New Orleans was led by Brandon Ingram (20 points) on Sunday and by Dyson Daniels, who had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson had 18 points, six turnovers and only two rebounds.
• The Mavericks overall continued their sizzling three-point shooting to start the season. Through 10 games, they have 175 triples made, the most through 10 games in NBA history. Fittingly, Tim Hardaway Jr. on Sunday made the 1,500^th three-pointer of his career, the 48^th player in league history to reach that milestone.
• By starting 8-2, the Mavericks have equaled their second-best 10-game start in franchise history. They were 10-0 in 2002-03.

MAVERICKS (8-2) at NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (4-6)

When, where: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans.

TV: Bally Sports Southwest.

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko