Pelicans (1-6), Mavericks (3-4)
Now that’s more like it. After starting the 2015-16 regular season with six straight defeats – coming off a 45-win season that included a playoff berth in the rugged Western Conference – New Orleans took out its early-season frustrations on Dallas, routing the Southwest Division counterpart. Six different Pelicans reached double figures in scoring in an outstanding offensive performance, which saw the hosts build an 18-point lead at intermission then push that to as many as 28, despite Anthony Davis sitting out the entire second half. X-rays on a hip contusion for Davis came back negative, but the Pelicans still held the two-time All-Star out of action the rest of the game.