Indiana Pacers smash Dallas Mavericks for second straight win
The Indiana Pacers demolished the Dallas Mavericks last night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to get back on track and put their win streak at two.
There was some beautiful basketball on display last night at BLF.
https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/677300954232832000
This, capped off by a 107-81 win over Dallas, leads the Pacers to where they are now – 15-9, back down to earth, but still possibly surging.
The Good
Indiana shot just over 48% from the field last night and forced nine steals, 11 turnovers in total, to capitalize on the fast break. The Pacers outscored and outhustled Dallas in just about every category – points in the paint, fast break points, bench points, steals, assists – you get the picture.
Perhaps more enjoyable, though, was that they did it without having to use Paul George‘s superstardom to lead them to victory. Though impactful, George dropped 19 points while securing 7 boards on 7/18 shooting to fall one point short of the game-high. Monta Ellis chipped in 19 points as well, but C.J. Miles took home the honors as top scorer with 20 points on 7/13 shooting, also collecting 7 boards.
Even more encouraging was the Indiana Pacers play on defense, allowing just 81 points in total including a joint 34 points in the second half. Positive signs on that end of the floor after a worrying stretch.
The Bad
The Pacers shot just under 38% from long range, which is meh but there are worse things to complain about. I think the most disappointing thing overall would be their performance at the free throw line.
Fans of the Blue & Gold are becoming all too familiar with the routine: Hack-A-Ian.
Paul George hit 3/3 last night, Ellis was 2/2, C.J. Miles was 3/5, and Rodney Stuckey was 1/1. Ian? Ian was 1/4. Granted, the sample size is still relatively small but it’s something Indiana will have to be weary of down the stretch in tight games that matter. Either Mahinmi starts hitting them consistently, or he can’t be on the floor in late-game situations.
All things considered, a positive performance that showed the positive end of the Pacers’ spectrum this season. Dominant, sound defensively, and spread offensively. As Monta Ellis continues to come into his own, so do the Pacers.
After one day’s rest, the Indiana Pacers host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, tipoff set for 7 pm ET.