Game Preview: Pacers vs Mavericks

Game Preview: Pacers vs Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks make the trek to Indianapolis Wednesday night for the Pacers' final game before the All-Star break. It will be the Indiana's 52nd game of the season. When they return from the break, they’ll have 30 more games to go – a stretch where they want to be hitting their stride.

Frank Vogel had termed the last couple weeks ‘The Dog Days of Winter,’ a stretch in the middle of the season that was difficult for a number of reasons: the cold weather, a trip out west, and the anticipation of a four-day break from the strenuous NBA schedule. With the exception of a poor hiccup in Orlando on Sunday, they’ve done a nice job closing out these last few weeks. They’re 5-1 in February and are coming off their best offensive showing of the season Monday night, a 39-point drumming of the Denver Nuggets.

Meanwhile, Dallas is on a bit of a hot streak as well, victors in their previous five games for their longest win streak of the season. However, four of those five games were against the bottom feeders in either conference. The Mavericks have the difficult task of playing road games on consecutive nights, as they'll play in Charlotte on Tuesday night before traveling to Indianapolis.

16-year veteran Dirk Nowitzki is the Mavs’ unquestionable leader. He leads them with 21.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Guard Monta Ellis and forward Jae Crowder are the only two Mavericks to have played in every game this season.

Over the offseason, the Mavericks made a number of transactions. They drafted Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo. Then, they signed Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, Samuel Dalembert, Monta Ellis, Wayne Ellington, Gal Mekel, and former Spurs forward DeJuan Blair.

These two teams met twice in the preseason, with the visiting team taking each game.

Pacers: None
Mavericks: Gal Mekel (out, right knee surgery)

“The games are going to get tougher after the break. We know that. We talked about finishing up strong before the break, but also we know we want to be running downhill the last few games of the season. We have to start preparing for that right now.” – David West

“I think we’re cutting the line between having fun and playing conservative basketball. I think it’s just a fine line that we’re cutting. I think we make adjustments throughout a game when and when not to do so.” – Paul George on the team getting too cute sometimes with their passes

“We have a perfect mix of veterans and younger guys. Some teams will have a mix where it’s just all young guys or just all older guys. I think we have a good mix. We have the leadership and we have the young talent. I saw a lot of the guys get drafted here and David West obviously is a great leader.” – Danny Granger

March 28, 2013: The Pacers captured their third consecutive win and second during a four-game trip out west with a 107-78 drumming of the Mavericks. Tied at 41 through two quarters, the Pacers stampeded the home team over the final two, including a 34-17 beat down in the third as they made 70 percent of their shots.

Five Indiana players finished in double figures, led by Paul George’s 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Tyler Hansbrough and Orlando Johnson contributed 13 and 12, respectively, off the bench. The Pacers dominated the glass, 55-34, while shooting 48 percent form the field. Dirk Nowitzki hit 10-of-20 shots and had 21 points to lead the Mavericks.

TV: FOX Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Brooke Olzendam (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: FM 107.5/AM 1070 The Fan, Pacers Radio Network – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Slick Leonard (analyst), Kevin Lee (sideline reporter/host)

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