Game Rewind: Pacers 101, Mavericks 110

For the second straight game, the Pacers competed but came up just short on the road. Indiana (40-22) closed a three-game trip on Wednesday night with a 110-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks (27-34).

The Mavericks made eight of their 16 3-pointers in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night to pull away late, with 40-year-old Dirk Nowitzki and 19-year-old Luka Doncic each hitting a pair of triples in the frame.

"We lost guys in that fourth quarter...I think we're a little hesitant," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "We're closing out short, and teams are knocking down shots."

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The Pacers took an early 10-4 lead on Dallas native Myles Turner's 3-pointer three minutes in, but the Mavericks responded with a 17-2 run over a 3:10 stretch to take control of the game.

Indiana slowly clawed its way back and rookie guard Aaron Holiday buried a trey just before the buzzer to trim the deficit to 28-27 heading into the second quarter.

The Blue & Gold opened the next frame with a 10-2 run to retake the lead, with six of those points coming from second-year forward TJ Leaf.

Dallas eventually surged back, using six unanswered points to take a 53-51 lead in the final minute of the half, but Bojan Bogdanovic hit a runner from the right baseline with 8.8 seconds left to tie the game heading into the break.

The third quarter featured four lead changes and five ties. The Pacers got nine points in the frame from former Maverick Wesley Matthews, but it was Dallas that took a narrow 79-78 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Nowitzki turned back the clock early in the final frame. The NBA's seventh all-time leading scorer knocked down two threes in the first four minutes of the fourth to help the Mavs extend their lead to five points.

The hosts maintained a narrow lead for the next several minutes and led 97-91 after Jalen Brunson hit one of two free throws with 3:50 to play.

Matthews buried a 3-pointer on the next Pacers possession, but Maxi Kleber answered with a three of his own on the other end. Bogdanovic's floater then made it a four-point game with 3:01 remaining, but Rookie of the Year frontrunner Doncic provided the dagger one minute later, drilling a 30-footer to put the game out of reach.

Doncic added another deep three in the final minute for good measure to put the finishing touches on an impressive close by the home team.

"They made shots," Matthews said. "I've been in their locker room. It's a great home team. They do tend to make more shots at home...We gave them a couple warm up and non-contested shots in the first half. You can't give any NBA team rhythm and second chance opportunities."

Bogdanovic led Indiana with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Matthews added 20 points against his former team, going 4-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Only two other Pacers players reached double figures on the night. Turner finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and four steals, while Thaddeus Young had 11 points, five boards, and five assists.

Doncic — who turns 20 on Thursday — led all scorers with 26 points and stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds and seven assists (as well as seven turnovers). Fellow rookie Brunson added 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and five assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points and went 4-for-9 from 3-point range.

The Pacers were without a pair of key reserves on Wednesday. Center Domantas Sabonis missed the game due to a sprained left ankle suffered in the closing minutes of Monday's loss in Detroit, while guard Tyreke Evans did not play due to food poisoning.

The Pacers won't have long to rest, as they return home to Indianapolis to host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:00 PM ET on Thursday night on the second night of a back-to-back.

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Bogdanovic reached 20 points for the 23rd time this season and the eighth time in 11 games this month. The Pacers are now 12-11 on the season when he scores 20 or more points.

Leaf finished with nine points off the bench and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. It was his highest-scoring game since he had 12 points in a loss at Washington on Jan. 30.

Turner's four steals matched his career high, a mark he's reached twice before, including on Feb. 7 against the Clippers.

The Pacers had just 19 assists on 37 field goals, their fewest assists since they also had 19 in a loss at Toronto on Dec. 19. Dallas, meanwhile, had 27 assists on 40 field goals.

Brunson's 24 points were a new career high, surpassing his previous mark of 22, which he set just last Friday in a loss to Denver.

In perhaps his final game against the Pacers, Nowitzki finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists, going 4-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range.

"The guys that are in uniform have got to play. We've been dealing with this all season long (with) injuries and that's not an excuse. We've got to execute better." -McMillan

"I thought we played a lot of one-on-one basketball throughout this game, not getting the ball moving, taking advantage of the matchups. I thought it was a little bit too much one-on-one play tonight." -McMillan

"It felt good. It really did. I'm surprised not by the reception but… I was in Portland for five years and I didn’t get one. That wasn’t a shot. I'm just saying why I was shocked. It was great and I appreciate it. I'm grateful for all the people in Dallas, the fans and the staff and all my former teammates. It was a lot of fun. I just wish that they would have lost tonight." -Matthews on the warm reception he received in his return to Dallas

"Last time we played these guys, we played big and their quickness is really a problem. We went to a quicker lineup with (Brunson) in there to guard Darren Collison. He did a really nice job. It was a gritty, all around effort." -Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle

"I'm there to help keep the energy. Obviously Luka means a lot to this team, but I try and play pickup defense and stay available for my teammates. I'm there to play hard." -Brunson

The Mavericks outscored the Pacers in the fourth quarter from beyond the 3-point arc alone. Dallas made eight 3-pointers in the final frame, while holding Indiana to just 23 points.

After a three-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »