Mavs Moneyball - Gameday: Dallas Mavericks at Indiana PacersRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2015-12-16T20:34:24-06:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/100403112015-12-16T20:34:24-06:002015-12-16T20:34:24-06:00Dallas pummelled in Indiana, 107-81
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<figcaption>Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Once again Dallas went cold and lost handily on the road</p> <p>The Dallas Mavericks have only had a pair of winning streaks so far this season, a six-gamer and back to back wins earlier this month. After getting a nice win against the Suns on Monday, the Mavs reverted back to Hyde-form and lost badly Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. Raymond Felton led Dallas with 16 points, and that is the end of the list of nice things I have to say.</p>
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<p><b>ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER SHOOTING DISASTER</b></p>
<p>Shooting can be a hard thing to maintain game-to-game, but the Dallas Mavericks make it look impossible. Another putrid line: 36.7% from the field, 24.2% from behind the three-point line. Defensive issues or not, it's simply hard to win when you can't convert open looks. The starting backcourt combined to go 1-8 from deep and 5-20 overall. It may not have made up all the difference tonight, but the Dallas perimeter depth was severely weakened after Devin Harris left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury(he was the only Mav in positive plus/minus at +4), with John Jenkins already out after being concussed during practice.</p>
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<p><b>DIRK OFF, BUT CLOSING IN ON MORE HISTORY</b></p>
<p>With 13 points, Dirk Nowitzki is now exactly 50 shy of passing Shaquille O'Neal for sixth on the NBA's all time scoring list. Dirk went 6-16 from the floor and missed several pretty open shots(including a stretch where he was left open three possessions in a row and couldn't hit). He's now recorded 13, 13, 14 and 13 points in his last four games, which is worrisome when you consider this is around the time he cratered last season, falling "in a hole" as he put it in interviews a few weeks ago. Dirk has played more minutes to this point than I believe the coaching staff wanted him to, so if there is a silver lining to this loss it's that Nowitzki only logged 26 minutes.</p>
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<p><b>SOME LATE-GAME BURN FOR THE END OF CARLISLE'S BENCH</b></p>
<p>With the game out of reach, we got to see some extra game action from Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans and Javale McGee. Not a lot of positive to report here, though, as Anderson missed all 5 shots (3 threes) in six minutes, and Evans recorded all zeroes in the stat-sheet in the same six minutes. McGee had some flashes, with 4 points and 7 rebounds in 11 minutes, getting some extra time after Dwight Powell had to sit with foul trouble.</p>
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<p>Well, that stunk. Dallas faces Memphis on Friday in a division showdown with playoff seeding implications and perhaps a chance to further sink the reeling Grizzlies, who have been the subject of some loud blowup rumors the last week or so.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/16/10343774/3-things-from-mavs-loss-to-the-pacersIan_Miller2015-12-16T00:00:02-06:002015-12-16T00:00:02-06:00Mavs meet Pacers and Monta for the first time
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<figcaption>Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Can Dallas get out of Indy with a win, or will Monta have the last laugh?</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and 5-7 overall since their six game win streak was snapped in mid-November. Though several prominent West teams have faltered out of the gate, the tide may be turning and Dallas could really use a few extra wins before Christmas comes and the schedule gets tougher. Otherwise, they might be swept away.</p>
<p>Both the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.indycornrows.com/">Pacers</a> and Mavs stand at 14 wins, and both are (as of this writing) 5th in their respective conferences. There's another thread tying the two teams together, of course, that being a few ex-Mavs now in Pacer yellow. <span>Monta Ellis</span>' departure from Dallas and recruitment by Indiana are well-documented, but let us not forget that Ian Manhimi -- after patiently waiting for <span>Roy Hibbert</span> to play himself out of town -- has taken over the starting center job.</p>
<h4><b>What do we need to know about the Pacers?</b></h4>
<p>They shoot the three-ball extremely well. At 38.9 percent they are second in the NBA (if you watch basketball even occasionally you can probably guess who's number 1), and that could spoil trouble for a Dallas team that has some older guys running around out there, and as such has a very small margin for error when it comes to perimeter rotations. Though Ellis has shot the three poorly even by his own standards, he is flanked by <span>George Hill</span>, <span>C.J. Miles</span> and of course the completely unfair <span>Paul George</span> at power forward. If Otto Porter torched Dirk, I think I don't ever want to see him try to guard George. You may have to live with Dirk getting lit up by Dallas-native C.J. Miles instead, who is coming off a 5-5 from deep performance against Toronto on Monday, and put up 28 points in 28 minutes against Dallas last season.</p>
<h4><b>Speaking of George, how the hell are they going to stop him?</b></h4>
<p>They probably won't, but as I alluded to I'm guessing they will put Dirk on Miles, leaving Wes to contend with Paul George. This may be the game to start trying out Parsons as a small ball four a little bit again, as Parsons played a season high 28 minutes against Phoenix Monday, and had his best game in a month. Assuming Justin Anderson is in Indiana and not down in the D-League, you'd like to throw out your best athlete to match theirs.</p>
<h4><b>Will Dallas have any advantage against Indiana?</b></h4>
<p>Well, although the Pacers defense has been pretty solid over the course of the season so far, lately there have been some bumps on the road. Prior to Monday's matchup against Toronto, the Pacers had allowed 118 points or more in four of five games(!), and although they ended up beating the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Raptors</a> comfortably, they were down by 21 points at one stage. So, good offense can be successful against this team.</p>
<h4><b>What will be the most important stat?</b></h4>
<p>This will likely be said about every Dallas opponent this season, but limiting turnovers and not allowing the other team to get out in transition is key. The Pacers are among the league leaders in forcing turnovers, and anytime George and Monta are running something bad is going to happen. Expect the very proud Ellis to be ready for this game, no matter what his season percentages say.</p>
<h4><b>How to watch</b></h4>
<p>Fox Sports Southwest if you live in DFW or Indianapolis area, and League Pass if you don't. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 Eastern Time, 6:00 CT.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/game-coverage/2015/12/16/10242704/mavs-meet-monta-againIan_Miller