Pelicans-Warriors: Pelicans lose NBA Cup game to Warriors | Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans’ chances of advancing to the knockout round of the NBA Cup were diminished on Tuesday when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks by 41 points.

Four teams from both conferences make the knockout round. Point difference in group play matters. In Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, the Pelicans were an NBA-worst minus-34.

To have a realistic chance of reaching the Round of 16, the Pelicans would need to beat the Warriors in both teams’ third group stage game. The Pelicans fell short of that goal, losing to the Warriors 112-108 at the Smoothie King Center.

Trey Murphy’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds left got the Pelicans within two points. Brandon Boston came up with a steal, which led to Murphy getting a clean look for a potential game-winning 3 with five seconds left. Murphy missed and the Warriors recovered.

“When you have an open look like that, it’s an opportunity to take,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “I thought it was good.”

New Orleans fell to 4-13 overall and 1-2 in NBA Cup group play. Its final group stage game is next Friday in Memphis.

The Pelicans got a little injury relief when shooting guard Jordan Hawkins returned after missing seven games with a back strain. Hawkins came off the bench and looked rusty in his first game since Nov. 6. He scored six points on 2-of-9 shooting.

The Pelicans clung to a one-point lead at halftime. Murphy played his best game since making his season debut a little less than two weeks ago. Murphy scored 15 of his 24 points in the first half. He shot 5 of 9 from 3-point territory.

“We need Trey’s shot making,” Green said. “His ability to space the floor, it allows guys to get to the basket, get to the paint.”

At the 3:16 mark of the fourth quarter, Boston connected on a 3 from the right corner, cutting the Warriors’ lead to three. Steph Curry responded with a quick basket that gave Golden State a two-possession advantage again.

Curry scored 19 points as the Warriors improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup group play. Andrew Wiggins led Golden State with 30 points.

The free throw line was an important battle ground. The Pelicans shot 14 of 22 there. With 31 seconds left, Brandon Ingram missed a pair of free throws that could have cut the Warriors’ lead to three points.

“We still came up short,” Green said. “A couple of plays down the stretch. Knock down some free throws. Maybe the ball bounces our way on the last 3 we got. There’s some things we can clean up down the stretch. But they battled their tails off.”

The Pelicans play next Monday against the Indiana Pacers. It is likely that guard CJ McCollum will return from an adductor strain.