Game Rewind: Pacers 103, Mavericks 109

The Pacers carried a four-game win streak into Monday's game in Dallas, but 3-point shooting doomed Indiana (34-26) on Monday night in a 109-103 loss.

It was an inauspicious start to a four-game road trip for the Blue & Gold, who went just 5-of-20 from 3-point range. Dallas (19-42), on the other hand, converted 14-of-37 attempts from beyond the arc, using a 27-point advantage from long range to snap a four-game skid.

"Defensively, we didn't do a good job of keeping it in front of us," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "They did a good job of moving the ball from side to side and getting downhill on us pretty much all night. And in the fourth quarter they just had a huge quarter."

Dallas native Myles Turner got the Pacers off to a strong start. Turner amassed nine points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the first seven minutes of Monday's contest, helping Indiana open up a five-point lead.

The Mavericks hung around, however, and Doug McDermott's 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the opening frame tied the game at 23 heading into the second quarter.

The two teams traded the lead in the second quarter before Dallas closed the first half with an 8-0 run to take a 49-43 lead into the break.

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Wesley Matthews' 3-pointer on Dallas' opening possession of the second half gave the hosts a nine-point lead, but the Pacers quickly responded. Indiana scored the next 11 points to move back in front, holding the Mavericks scoreless for 3:24.

Neither team led by more than four points for the remainder of the quarter, which ended with McDermott banking in a three from the right wing at the buzzer to give Dallas a 68-65 lead.

McDermott and Dirk Nowitzki took turns knocking down jumpers during an 18-5 in the first half of the fourth quarter, helping the Mavericks extend their advantage to 13 points.

The Pacers, however, battled back. Indiana used a 12-2 run to make it a three-point game with 2:37 to play. J.J. Barea and Victor Oladipo then traded baskets to make it 99-96. Following a Matthews miss, Oladipo had a look to tie the game, but missed a pull-up 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining.

Indiana got a second life after Harrison Barnes missed a corner three, and Oladipo drew a foul in transition. The Pacers' All-Star guard made one of two foul shots to trim the deficit to two with 45.1 seconds left.

On the other end, Matthews came off a screen and buried a 3-pointer with 33.7 seconds to play.

Out of a timeout, Oladipo drew another foul and this time converted both free throws to make it a 102-99 game with 28.9 seconds remaining. The Pacers then fouled rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr., who made one of two free throws with 21.0 seconds left.

Oladipo quickly drove the length of the floor for a layup and seemingly stole the ensuing inbounds, but was out of bounds when he touched the ball, giving possession back to the Mavericks.

That forced Indiana to foul once again, and Barnes converted both of his free throws to make it a four-point game once again with 11 seconds remaining. Oladipo missed a three on the other end, and the Mavericks finished the game at the free throw line.

Turner led Indiana with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in the loss.

Oladipo only played 14 minutes over the first three quarters due to foul trouble, but still managed to accumulate 21 points, five boards, and four assists after a strong finish.

"I don't think it affected my rhythm, I just didn't play a lot," Oladipo said about his foul trouble. "It's crazy how they (the referees) didn't miss none of mine. It just felt like every time I tried to do something, it was a foul. So, it was just one of those nights."

Bojan Bogdanovic added 19 points for Indiana, while Cory Joseph and Glenn Robinson III tallied 10 points apiece.

Barnes led the Mavericks with 21 points, while Barea added 19 points and nine assists off the bench. McDermott scored 15 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range.

The Pacers return to action on Wednesday night in Atlanta, when they will face off against the Hawks for the second time in five days. Their road trip concludes with visits to Milwaukee and Washington over the weekend.

Turner recorded his seventh double-double of the season on Monday and his fourth in his last nine games.

Robinson was remarkably effective in just his second game back after recovering from left ankle surgery. The 2017 Slam Dunk Contest champion scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 21 minutes to go along with three assists and one steal. He even threw down his first dunk of the season, a two-handed slam on the baseline in the third quarter.

Thaddeus Young struggled offensively for Indiana, going just 2-for-11 from the field, but did amass 14 rebounds to match his season high.

Monday's contest featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes, but the Pacers never led in the fourth quarter, though they did tie the game on three separate occasions early in the frame.

Indiana outrebounded Dallas, 50-44. The Pacers have now won the battle of the boards in each of their past five games, amassing at least 50 rebounds in each of those contests.

The Mavericks' bench outscored Indiana's reserves 44-23, thanks in large part to the 34 combined points from Barea and McDermott.

"Didn't play no defense. You can't give up 41 points in a quarter. I thought our last game in Indy they controlled the tempo, they established their tempo, and I thought tonight once again they established their tempo." -McMillan on the difference down the stretch

"They definitely dictated the pace. When we switch and try to slow it down and try to do all those little things and we don't really play our pace, it is hard to beat them. It is what it is. It is a tough loss and you've got to learn from it and move on because every game still counts." -Oladipo

"That's huge for us when one of our guys in rotation gets in foul trouble — (he) can't help us on the bench." -McMillan on Oladipo's foul trouble

"We needed to get a win and get some momentum going. We have had some good games in the recent days, and weeks, but there is nothing like winning. And the way things are at this moment, with everything going on, it is uplifting for everyone." -Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle

"It's just unselfishness, it's contagious. There's a lot of guys that know how to play, and I feel like I've been playing with a unit that has a lot of experience with J.J. and Dirk, Dwight (Powell) rolling to the rim. It's been great for me because team's gotta make a choice if they want to go with Dwight or Dirk, and I've had a lot of great looks." -McDermott on his hot shooting

Dallas scored 41 points in the fourth quarter on Monday to lock up the victory, the most points allowed by the Pacers in the fourth quarter this season. The most points Indiana had allowed previously in the final frame was 36 to Detroit on Nov. 17 and Orlando on Nov. 2.

The Pacers head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Wednesday, February 28 at 7:30 PM ET.

Following a four-game road trip, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, March 5 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »