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The New Orleans Pelicans are improving.

The Dallas Mavericks are struggling.

The Pelicans are coming off their best road trip of the season and the Mavericks are coming off a lopsided home loss as both teams complete a back-to-back when they meet Wednesday night in New Orleans.

New Orleans still has the worst record in the Western Conference, but after winning just two of their first 17 road games, they went 2-1 on a trip that concluded with a 119-113 victory at Chicago on Tuesday.

The road trip began with a 123-115 victory at Philadelphia while Zion Williamson served a one-game suspension for being late for the team flight, then Williamson returned and the team lost 120-119 at the buzzer in Boston on Sunday. New Orleans has won four of its past seven games after an 11-game losing streak.

On Tuesday, Williamson had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 24 minutes.

“He’s incredible,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said of Williamson, who was playing just his third game since returning from a 27-game absence due to a hamstring strain. “When he touches the floor everything gets better. You can feel his energy. You can feel his gravity.”

Trey Murphy III led the team with 32 points even as the team’s most reliable 3-point shooter made just 2 of 13 from beyond the arc. He made all 12 of his free throws and added six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

“He’s bringing everything to the table,” guard Jose Alvarado, who had 12 points in 16 minutes off the bench against the Bulls, said of Murphy. “He’s driving, rebounding, stealing, kicking. He’s putting his game all together and he keeps on improving.”

Kyrie Irving returned from a five-game absence due to a bulging disc in his back but Luka Doncic (calf strain) remained sidelined as the Mavericks lost to the Denver Nuggets 118-99 on Tuesday. It was Dallas’ seventh loss in nine games.

Irving finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists in 30 minutes in a game that Denver led 71-45 at halftime. He made just 4 of his 18 shots from the floor and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.

“I’ve just got to be smart about it,” Irving said of working his way back. “I’m grateful that I got a chance to go out and get some minutes. Tonight, I kind of felt like I hopped off the couch and decided to play in an NBA game. It wasn’t a great performance, from top to bottom.”

Doncic, who was injured on Christmas Day, is expected to miss at least two more weeks. It remains to be seen if Irving will play the second half of a back-to-back immediately upon his return. Center Dereck Lively II left the game Tuesday because of a sprained ankle and did not return.

The Mavericks had both Doncic and Irving when they defeated the visiting Pelicans 132-91 on Nov. 19, the largest margin of victory for Dallas and the largest margin of defeat for New Orleans this season. These teams will meet twice more after Wednesday — Jan. 29 in New Orleans and Feb. 21 at Dallas.

–Field Level Media