Luka Doncic Dazzles As Mavs Handle Rebuilding Pacers in Blowout Win
INDIANAPOLIS — Entering with a four-game losing streak, the Dallas Mavericks needed to re-establish some momentum with a win against their next opponent. The rebuilding Indiana Pacers came at the right time. The Mavs took care of business with a 127-104 victory, improving their record to 37-39 on the season.
The Pacers had ruled out many of their key players, including Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Chris Duarte. With the Mavs having all but Maxi Kleber available to play, they faced a genuinely vulnerable opponent. After losing to the Charlotte Hornets in consecutive games, a win against a rebuilding team was sorely needed for Dallas.
Initially, the Mavs had gotten off to another underwhelming start, trailing the Pacers 19-14 with 5:00 remaining in the first quarter. From that point on, Dallas had outscored Indiana by a staggering 45-28 margin to close to the half, establishing a 59-47 lead at the break.
The Mavs had already received four double-figure scoring performances by halftime, including the following meeting the mark: Kyrie Irving (14), Luka Doncic (12), Jaden Hardy (12), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (10).
Doncic led the way with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in just 28 minutes. Hardy was the Mavs' second-leading scorer with 20 points off the bench while shooting 8-12 from the field and 4-6 from deep.
Irving only had 16 points on the night, but he shot a respectable 7-11 from the field and was a +26 in 30 minutes, which was the best plus/minus for any of the Mavs' starters.
The Pacers temporarily cut the Mavs' lead to nine at the 10:51 mark of the third quarter, using a made 3-pointer from Jalen Smith. Dallas quickly responded with an 8-0 run, solidifying a double-figure advantage for the remainder of the period.
Prompting a timeout from Indiana, an emphatic two-hand slam from Christian Wood pushed the Mavs' lead to 25 with 37.1 seconds left in the third quarter. The Pacers never made a serious rallying effort from that point on, resulting in the Mavs winning without Doncic having to play in the fourth quarter.
The Mavs return to action on Wednesday when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers for the third stop in part of a five-game road trip.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.
Follow Grant Afseth on Twitter.
