THE New Orleans Pelicans rallied past the Dallas Mavericks, 119-113, on Monday night (Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, PH time), extending their season-best winning streak to five games, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Zion Williamson scored 24 points, including 10 straight in a decisive two-minute burst late in the fourth quarter, to lead the Pelicans who continued their remarkable turnaround after opening the season 3-22, posting their longest winning streak since 2022.
New Orleans trailed 87-79 entering the fourth quarter but erupted for a 38-19 run over the first 10:24 of the period.
With the Pelicans clinging to a 105-103 lead, Williamson took over, scoring on five of New Orleans’ next six possessions. Four of those baskets came on powerful drives from the right side, pushing the lead to 117-106 with 1:37 remaining.
Anthony Davis led Dallas with a season-high 35 points. The Mavericks made it interesting late, scoring seven straight points to trim the deficit to 117-113 with 18.1 seconds left, but Trey Murphy III sealed the win by sinking two free throws with 10.4 seconds remaining.
Derik Queen finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, while Saddiq Bey added 19 points and seven boards.
Dallas had seized momentum earlier behind Davis and Klay Thompson, who were dominant in the first half as the Mavericks erased an early 11-point deficit to take a 63-57 halftime lead.
Davis poured in 22 first-half points — his highest scoring half of the season — on 10-of-16 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Thompson, a career 41-percent shooter from beyond the arc, came off the bench to score 20 points, drilling five of his first nine three-point attempts.
Cavaliers 139, Hornets 132
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and De’Andre Hunter added 27 — including 15 in the second half — to lift the Cavaliers to a 139-132 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, snapping a three-game losing streak, an AP report said.
Darius Garland chipped in 27 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which also ended a three-game home skid at Rocket Arena. LaMelo Ball paced Charlotte with 23 points and nine assists, while rookie Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller scored 20 points apiece. Moussa Diabate grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds.
Hunter sparked the Cavaliers early in the third quarter, staying in the game after being bloodied by a flagrant foul from Diabate. He made both free throws and then buried a three-pointer on the next possession to extend Cleveland’s lead to 98-85.
Dean Wade added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, who led by as many as 19. Lonzo Ball had six points and seven assists as Cleveland continued a three-game homestand ahead of its Christmas Day matchup at New York.
Mitchell closed the first half by banking in a 28-footer at the buzzer, giving him 18 points and Cleveland a 70-63 lead at intermission.
Garland scored 17 in the half, while Knueppel and Ball each had 15 for Charlotte. The teams combined for 12 lead changes and 10 ties before halftime, with neither side leading by double digits.
Hornets center Mason Plumlee left the game in the third quarter with right groin soreness and did not return. He started in place of rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, who had a sprained left elbow.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-95, Denver Nuggets routed Utah Jazz 135-112, Oklahoma City Thunder beat Memphis Grizzlies 119-103, Golden State Warriors rolled past Orlando Magic 120-97, and Detroit won 110-102 at Portland. / LBG