Mavs Lose To Pacers
DALLAS — Indiana star Paul George shook off a cold-shooting first half, George Hill knocked down three crucial 3-pointers and three players with Dallas ties helped the Pacers knock off the struggling Mavericks 112-105 in a rare Saturday matinee.
The Pacers, who made their first 25 free throws and finished 27-of-29, never trailed in the second half, but Dallas sliced an 11-point deficit to 92-91 with 5:28 to go in the fourth period.
That is when Hill, who finished with 16 points, went around the horn, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers, first from the corner, then straightaway and finally from the other corner.
In between was a bucket from George, who scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the third quarter when Indiana took control, for a 100-93 lead with 4:05 to go. The Pacers never could completely put Dallas away, but they managed to seal the road victory to move to 35-30.
“I knew I had to find a rhythm for myself,” George said. “It was just get the ball and go, and create offense for myself. I was trying to get other guys going. We got some good looks. I thought they
were really dialed in to me on the strong side, so I tried to get everything on the weak side.”
Dallas (33-33) dropped to .500 for the first time all season with its fifth consecutive loss, and finds itself sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference playoff race. The Mavs got burned by two players who used to wear the Dallas uniform, and another who grew up 20 minutes from their home arena.
Former Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (17 points, seven assists and five rebounds) and Ian Mahinmi (10 points), plus impressive rookie power forward Myles Turner (15 points, seven rebounds), who a year ago was playing his freshman season at the University of Texas, combined to go 15 of 27 from the floor.
Ellis’ three-point play on a driving layup in which he was granted continuation even though he was fouled just inside the free-throw line, extended Indiana’s four-point lead to 106-99.
“Everybody contributed,” George said. “I guess it was just the way this game was. When you a play (against) a zone, you can share the ball and more guys can score.”
As has been a trend in recent losses, Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki did not get much help. The 37-year-old forward finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting. The Mavericks’ other four starters finished 18 of 45.
“We’ve got to keep plugging and keep fighting,” Nowitzki said. “I don’t think we have any quitters in this locker room.”
The rested Pacers, who last knocked off San Antonio on Monday, led 55-51 at halftime despite going 3 of 16 from beyond the arc and George struggling mightily with his range. George had just two points in the first half on 1-of-6 shooting, but brushed that off to go 4 of 8 with three 3-pointers in the third quarter that pushed Indiana to an 83-75 lead.
The Mavs, however, failed to take advantage because they could not shoot straight from inside the arc. While going 4 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half, Dallas shot just 41.7 percent overall.
“We are a .500 team. We are our record,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “And I told the guys after the game that we’re going to have to earn our way back up over .500. It’s not going to get any easier.”
