The Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 107-105. It was not a pretty game from either side, but late heroics on the visiting side made the ending worth the sludge of the first 47 minutes. Brandon
Williams led the way for Dallas with 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and two steals.
The game started slowly, with the Mavericks’ offense looking stagnant and the Pacers missing a lot of shots. The bricks continued for most of the first quarter before Anthony Davis went down with a non-contact injury while starting to run down the floor. After Davis went out, the shot-making picked up a bit, but Dallas still trailed 30-25 after one. The second period featured some signature Jason Kidd lineups (like Brandon Williams, Jaden Hardy, and Caleb Martin out there together), and saw the shorthanded Pacers grow their lead on the increasingly shorthanded Mavericks to 14. Dallas, led by Brandon Williams’ 10 first-half points, did not surrender and fought back to cut the deficit to 3 at the break, 55-52.
The Mavericks carried this momentum into the third quarter, where they quickly jumped out to a 60-57 lead. The game hit the brakes after that, and both squads went ice cold in the latter half of the third quarter. There was a slight burst of offense towards the end of the period, with Williams capping it off on a buzzer-beating runner that put Dallas up 81-74 after three. The Mavericks’ lead floated between five and 12 points for most of the fourth. Every time it looked like Dallas was going to close the door, Indiana had an answer. Up six with under a minute left, Max Christie threw a pass out of bounds that cleared a path for the Pacers to go two-for-one. They made a three, got a stop, and then were fouled with 3.4 seconds on the clock. RayJ Dennis made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second, and the ball ricocheted to Aaron Nesmith for a wide-open three and a shot at the win. He missed it long, capping off a 2-of-16 shooting night, and Dallas snuck out a victory.
Good guards make the world go ‘round
The NBA is a guard-driven league. Six of last season’s ten highest scorers were guards. A good point guard who can create off the dribble can change the entire outlook of a roster. Last year’s Indiana Pacers were a prime example of that. So was Milwaukee in 2021, when they won a championship after trading for Jrue Holiday. Despite the historical evidence that suggests having a steady guard on the court makes the team better (including head coach Jason Kidd’s entire career, I might add), the Mavericks continue to trot out a guard-less, motion-less first unit that consistently digs the team into a hole early. The Mavericks were down 50-36 in this game with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter. The tides turned when Brandon Williams made a layup, Dallas went down on defense and got a steal, and then Klay Thompson made a three, forcing a Pacers timeout. This was part of a 13-2 run that Williams led to bring the Mavericks within striking distance at the end of the first half. The offense looked much more fluid, and the defense was more active because of it. The two are interconnected in a way that only makes sense on a human level: if you feel good about yourself (offense), then you’re more likely to help others out (defense). This team needs to play well on offense for its defense to function. And for the offense to look serviceable, they need a point guard on the floor. Brandon Williams looked like the point guard they’re missing tonight.
Klay Thompson, where art thou?
The Mavericks need shot-making desperately. Brandon Williams was the largest provider of that Wednesday night, but a lot of it was inside 15 feet. Dallas shot 21% from three against the Pacers. They would benefit greatly from a guy who can space the floor and knock down jumpers consistently. Klay Thompson is supposed to be that guy. Unfortunately, he has not been it yet. He shot 2-of-10 tonight in 22 minutes, and none of the misses looked particularly close. He is no longer a good enough defender to justify the misses, and his misses cannot be hidden behind his teammates’ efficiency like they were last year, because no one else on the team can hit a shot either. It is time for Klay Thompson to hit a shot or hit the showers.
Dwight Powell is inevitable
Unfortunately, the biggest takeaway from the game is that we do not know how many, if any, games Davis will miss. He left the game in the first quarter after grabbing his leg above his ankle on what seemed like a non-contact injury. He was listed on the injury report for Bilateral Achilles Tendinopathy, but there are no details on the injury that forced him out at the time of writing. Without Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, this elevated Dwight Powell to the lead center role, where he excelled tonight. Powell had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks, with a team high +/- of +12. He drew multiple fouls, provided energy, and got audible MVP chants at the free-throw line. Times change, people change, but Dwight Powell will always be there, getting hit in the face.
