Derik Queen showed off his passing skills during an amazing highlight with Trey Murphy III during the New Orleans Pelicans' NBA Cup matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Queen is going through his rookie season in the league, making strides as he's getting more comfortable in the Pelicans' rotation. He's recently garnered more minutes as he's getting chances in the starting lineup, showing his talents on both sides of the ball.
That much was the case with one of his plays midway through the third quarter. He delivered an astounding behind-the-back pass to Murphy, who finished the play with a fierce two-handed dunk.
WHAT A PASS BY DERIK QUEEN FOR THE SLAM 🤯
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 22, 2025
How Derik Queen, Pelicans played against Mavericks
Despite the sweet highlight from Derik Queen and Trey Murphy III, it wasn't enough as the Pelicans fell short in a 118-115 loss to the Mavericks.
New Orleans boasted a solid advantage early in the game, leading by 14 points at halftime. However, they gave up a 36-point outing in the third quarter, which gave Dallas the opening they needed to make enough big plays in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Perimeter shooting, rebounding and ball movement made the difference in this matchup. The Mavericks prevailed in all three categories by making 16 3-pointers, securing 47 rebounds and creating 30 assists. It wasn't the same for the Pelicans, who only made seven triples, grabbed 42 rebounds and dished out 25 assists.
Four players scored in double-digits for New Orleans in the loss, including Queen and Murphy. The former finished with a stat line of 20 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. He shot 8-of-17 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. The latter followed with 25 points, three rebounds, three steals, and a block. Zion Williamson came next with 22 points and three rebounds while Jeremiah Fears provided 21 points and seven rebounds.
New Orleans fell to a 2-14 record on the season, being at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. They are one game behind the Sacramento Kings and 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Pelicans will look to end their eight-game skid in their next matchup, being at home. They host the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. ET.
