Cooper Flagg and Jose Alvarado traded to free throw trips to keep the lead at three. Daniel Gafford brought the lead back down to one, but then Derik Queen was fouled going for a layup with 11 seconds remaining, where he'd go 1/2, giving the Mavs a chance to tie or take the lead for the win.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks squared off at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Both teams arrived with great desperation to secure wins and rise in the conference standings.

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd tinkered with the lineup and decided to bring guard Klay Thompson off the bench on Wednesday.

Former high school teammates Cooper Flagg and Derik Queen swapped jerseys with each other following their first regular-season meeting in the NBA.

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans hits the road against Dallas looking to break its four-game road slide. Dallas finished 39-43 overall and 8-8 in Southwest Division action a season ago. The Mavericks averaged 7.8 steals, 5.4 blocks and 13.3 turnovers per game last season.

Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks fell 101–99 at home to the New Orleans Pelicans, who were without star player Zion Williamson, on Wednesday.

Cooper Flagg at point guard wasn't working. So the Dallas Mavericks mixed things up Wednesday night. It didn't help. With a new starting lineup, the Mavericks suffered a 101-99 loss at home to the previously 1-6 New Orleans Pelicans,