Preview: The Mavs host a Cup Night game against New Orleans

The Dallas Mavericks are trending in the right direction after snapping a four-game losing streak by silencing their critics with a pair of big wins on back-to-back nights this weekend.

After beating San Antonio (110-93) at home on Saturday and following it up with a big win at Oklahoma City (121-119) on Sunday, the Mavs were able to even their win-loss record at 7-7 .

The win in Oklahoma City was particularly significant as the Thunder had the best record in the Western Conference and the second best record in the entire NBA at the time at 11–2. And the Mavs played without their best player, point guard Luka Dončić, who sat out with a right knee contusion.

But none of that mattered on a night where the Mavs outscored the Thunder, 53-29.

“The ball was moving, the guys were tired but cheering each other on,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Just understood, down by a guy with Luka out, I thought we were staying together.

“We’ve been in some close games and we’ve lost doing different things that don’t win games, and I thought that group did a really good job of staying the course. I thought everybody made plays. “

Kidd hopes his team will play a few more games when they play a pair of The Cup games this week, starting with Tuesday’s home game against New Orleans and ending with Friday’s road game at Denver.

As for the eye-popping win over the highly touted Thunder, Kidd said, “It’s just one of 82 games. It is what it is. They’re the favorites (to win the Western Conference). Hopefully we can meet them in the playoffs , if we can get there.

“We have to take it one game at a time. Wins and losses will always be learning experiences. This is a new group. It’s hard to win in this league.”

Still, expectations are high in Dallas after the Mavs reached last season’s NBA Finals and tweaked their roster over the offseason by adding some quality players, including Klay Thompson.

“We’re not guaranteed to get back to the finals,” Kidd said. “There are a lot of other teams that are good in this league.”

But going out victorious in Oklahoma City sans Dončić speaks volumes. Especially in a game that was the second leg of a back-to-back.

“We come back to play the next game, the energy is high, the stakes are high, and we put ourselves in position to win on the road,” Kidd said. “I just think it shows the character in that locker room that you can lose or have a tough week and react quickly with two games that you find a way to win.

“And now we have another big week with the Cup Series. There are a lot of good things happening in Dallas, as much as some would say it isn’t.”

Here are some other nuggets surrounding Tuesday’s game between the Mavs and Pelicans.

*This is the only game on this homestand for the Mavs before they go on a three-game road trip. The trip starts Friday in Denver and continues with a game Sunday in Miami and a game Monday in Atlanta before the Mavs return home to entertain Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and the New York Knicks on Nov. 27.

*Tuesday’s game in Dallas starts a two-game road trip for New Orleans. The road trip concludes with Wednesday’s game in Cleveland before the Pelicans fly home to face the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

*Despite 31 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals from Luka Dončić, the Mavs lost their lone The Cup game last Tuesday at Golden State, 120-117. The Pelicans are 1-0 in TheCup games after defeating Denver, 101-94, last Friday behind 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Brandon Ingram.

*Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain), CJ McCollum (right fracture), Herb Jones (right shoulder strain), Dejounte Murray (broken left hand and surgery), Trey Murphy III (right hamstring injury) and Jose Alvarado (left hamstring strain) are all on the mend for the Pelicans.

*Mavs forward PJ Washington put on a show during the 121-119 win over OKC. In that game, Washington scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds. Washington actually grabbed nearly as many offensive rebounds (six) as the entire OKC squad (seven) in that game.

*The Pelicans have fallen on hard times as they are coming off Dallas losers in 10 of their last 12 games. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Pelicans in New Orleans on Saturday, 104-99, despite Brandon Ingram’s 32 points and eight assists. Due to several injuries, the Pelicans only suited up 10 players against the Lakers. Still, a three-pointer by Ingram put New Orleans ahead, 97-95, with 2:09 left before the Lakers ended the game with a 9-2 run.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (4-10) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (7-7)

When: 19.30, Tuesday

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: WFAA-8, KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream,

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice