Sunday, February 25th, 5pm ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
game preview
The No. 6 teams in the East and West will meet for the first time this regular season on Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Indiana Pacers have found themselves on a completely different team since their last meeting with the Dallas Mavericks, a 127-104 loss in Indianapolis on March 27, 2023. Both Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner have been absent from recent matchups, so if they add new pacer Pascal Siakam to turn this game around, a different outcome could be possible. be.
The Blue and Gold teams will also have two days of rest before playing the second of a four-game homestand.
Indiana enters this game coming off a 129-115 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. In the first game after the All-Star break, the Pacers led 72-43 at halftime, allowing the fewest points in a first half this season.
Six Pacers teams scored in double figures, led by All-Star starter Haliburton's 25 points and 12 assists. TJ McConnell followed with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, followed by Siakam with 20 points, Benedict Mathurin with 15 points and Turner with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Indiana leads the league this season in scoring (123.8 points), assists (31.0 points), field goal percentage (50.8 percent) and points in the paint (57.4 points). Dallas, on the other hand, lags far behind in each of these categories, ranking him 7th in offense (118.7 ppg) and 22nd.n.d. Assists (APG 25.6), 13th Field goal percentage (47.8%), 27th Points scored in the paint (46.3 points).
With five Mavericks averaging double digits this season, Dallas finds itself with a playoff shot after finishing 11th this season.th Last season – most recently, the Pacers found them in the final meeting between the teams last March. Dallas recently defeated the Phoenix Suns 123-113 in their first game back from the All-Star break on Thursday, snapping a seven-game winning streak.
The star-studded dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving lead the Mavericks, with the five-time All-Star averaging 34.3 points, 9.6 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game this season. , Irving, an eight-time All-Star, averaged 25.6 points per game. .
Tim Hardaway Jr. follows with an average of 17.2 points per game, and PJ Washington Jr., who was traded from Charlotte on February 8, adds 13.3 points per game.
Expected starter
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Benedict Mathurin, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Mavericks: G – Luka Doncic, G – Kyrie Irving, F – Josh Green, F – PJ Washington, C – Derrick Lively II
Reporting an injury
Pacers: Jalen Smith – Questionable (lower back spasm), Aaron Nesmith – Out (right ankle sprain)
last meeting
March 27, 2023: Dallas defeated Indiana 127-104 in Game 2, the final game for both teams last season, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, seeking revenge for the Pacers' 124-122 victory a month earlier. planned. Indiana was short-handed in the loss, playing without Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and Chris Duarte, who were all recovering from injuries and illnesses.
Benedict Mathurin led the Blue and Gold team with 26 points, followed by Andrew Nembhard with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. In addition, TJ McConnell had 15 points and a team-high seven assists off the bench.
Indiana struggled to shoot 41.9 percent from the floor (39-of-93), while the Mavericks shot 56.6 percent (47-of-83). The Indiana Reserves were also outscored by the Dallas Reserves, 58-33.
Two big scoring bursts in the second and third quarters gave the Mavericks a 25-point lead by the fourth frame, ultimately clinching the victory. Luka Doncic had a team-high 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Kyrie Irving contributed with 16 points and six assists.
Pay attention to
- This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the 2023-24 regular season. Indiana heads to Dallas for the second and final game of the series on March 5th.
- Indiana is 36-47 overall against Dallas and 21-20 at home.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for 13 seasons (2008-09 to 2020-21). During this time, he led the Mavericks to nine playoff appearances, including Dallas' first NBA title in 2011.
Broadcast information (TV and radio program schedule >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denali (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
ticket
The Pacers continue their four-game homestand when they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, February 25th at 5:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Find tickets >>
