Mavs Lose To Pacers
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INDIANAPOLIS — Certainly, beating the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night had special significance for Dallas native and Indiana Pacers guard/forward CJ Miles, a graduate of Skyline High School.
But it also was significant in that it kept the Pacers alive in the chase for one of the final playoff slots in the East.
Miles scored 28 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with one minute remaining and two free throws with 1.7 seconds to go, leading Indiana to a 104-99 victory over Dallas in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The left-hander made 9 of 12 field goal attempts, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and 5 of 6 from the free throw line.
“It was a great game playing against a great team with great players that made plays,” Miles said. “I think it was a fun game from a fan’s perspective, us going at each other and making big plays. We’re in a time right now where we need to win all of our games. Everything is a must.
“For us to step up and beat a team like that feels good. We came out with a lot of energy. We beat a great team with a great coach.”
It was the first time in 34 games this season that the Mavericks (45-29) lost when leading after three quarters. Indiana (32-41) snapped a four-game home losing streak.
Two free throws from center Roy Hibbert broke a tie and gave the Pacers a
99-97 lead with 1:30 remaining. Miles followed with the 3-pointer 30 seconds later for a 102-97 lead.
Dallas forward Chandler Parson made a layup with 55 second to go to slice the deficit to 102-99, but the Mavericks, who managed only 38 second-half points, did not score again.
Hibbert and guard George Hill each added 14 for Indiana, which shot 50 percent from the field (38-for-76).
Parsons led Dallas with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and five rebounds, and guard Rajon Rondo added 17 points and 10 assists. The Mavericks shot 44.4 percent (40-for-90).
“I think we really badly needed a win and wanted a win,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. “Our guys raised their level. George Hill made a lot of big plays for us, and we have good shooters. The ball was moving well.”
The Pacers are Boston Celtics are both a half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Charlotte Hornets are one game behind the Nets.
Dallas remains in seventh place in the Western Conference.
“The game got more physical in the second half,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “And they did a better job defensively. We had more turnovers in the second half, and we didn’t execute well. Indiana got the ball in the paint a lot, and they made big shots in the second half. They got us scrambling, and we didn’t do a very good job on their 3-point shooters in the second half.”
Consecutive baskets from forward Luis Scola and guard C.J. Watson gave Indiana an 86-84 lead with 8:18 remaining. A Stuckey 3-pointer with 6:08 to go gave the Pacers an 89-86 advantage, but Rondo countered with a three-point play eight seconds later that tied it at 89.
A free throw by guard Devin Harris with 4.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave Dallas a 79-78 lead through 36 minutes. The Mavericks led by as many as seven in the period, but at one point, Dallas missed eight consecutive field-goal attempts. The Pacers shot 56.3 percent in the quarter (9-for-16), getting seven points from Miles.
“The difference in the second half was that they scored,” Rondo said. “When we got stops in the first half, we pushed the pace. Even when they scored, we pushed the pace. In the second half, it seemed like every shot they made took a blow out of us. Offense is not the problem, but tonight, you have to give their defense some credit.”
The Mavericks shot 70 percent (14-for-20) during the second quarter, outscored Indiana 34-22 and seized a 61-55 lead through 24 minutes.
