Myles Turner delivered a season-best performance with 33 points, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 133-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, effectively ending Dallas’s impressive seven-game win streak in the Western Conference. Tyrese Haliburton contributed significantly with 17 points and 10 assists.
Luka Doncic matched Turner’s scoring output with 33 points of his own, adding six assists and six rebounds for the Mavericks. Despite shooting 47% from the field, Dallas couldn’t contain Indiana’s offense, which shot 56% and landed 14 shots from beyond the arc. Kyrie Irving also had a notable performance for Dallas, scoring 29 points.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, reflecting on his 13 years as coach of the Mavericks, emphasized the importance of maintaining competitiveness and aggression throughout the game. He acknowledged the challenge of facing a team of Dallas’s caliber, stressing that there are no easy games against such opponents.
“The whole game for us was about our edge, our competitiveness,” Carlisle said. “We just wanted to stay aggressive and not look at the scoreboard, just play our game. You’re never going to have an easy game against a team like Dallas.”
The game saw a pivotal moment in the fourth quarter when Andrew Nembhard and Haliburton hit consecutive 3-pointers, extending Indiana’s lead to 120-102. This surge came after Dallas had narrowed the gap to just four points earlier in the final period but ultimately fell behind by as much as 22.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd credited the Pacers for their shooting performance and noted the learning opportunity for his team, particularly highlighting the low assist count and the defensive challenges posed by Haliburton and Turner.
“Give them credit,” Kidd said. “They were making shots. We’ll learn from it. We had 15 assists, the lowest of the season. Haliburton caused us a problem driving. Turner, he kind of finds his way to top of the key or the 3-point line. He was wide open, so we have to do better.”
Supporting Indiana’s win were Nembhard and Ben Sheppard, each scoring 15 points, as the Pacers secured their third consecutive win to strengthen their position in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Bennedict Mathurin also made significant contributions with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
The matchup featured a high-scoring affair with Doncic, the league’s leading scorer with an average of 34.3 points per game, putting up 25 in the first half alone against the Pacers, who entered the game as the highest-scoring team with an average of 123.8 points per game.
The closely contested first half saw neither team leading by more than eight, ending with Indiana ahead 67-60. The game was tied at the end of the first quarter, with the Pacers taking a 100-91 lead into the final quarter. Reflecting on the victory, Turner highlighted the team’s defensive efforts against Dallas’s talented roster, with an eye on the remaining 24 games of the season to build on their success.
“We locked in defensively,” Turner said. “They’ve got some special talent over there. We still have 24 games left to try to make some more hay.”
The Pacers were without Aaron Nesmith, a key player averaging 12.6 points per game, due to a sprained right ankle. On the other side, the Mavericks were missing reserve guard Dante Exum due to knee bursitis but are hopeful for his return in their next game.
Looking ahead, the Mavericks will continue their road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Pacers are set to host the Toronto Raptors.
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