Mavericks vs. Pacers Final result: Dallas falls to Indiana, 134-127

The Dallas Mavericks lost 134-127 to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night in Dallas. Hailing from Bedford (Editor's note: and Euless Trinity grad!) Myles Turner led the Pacers with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 34 points and 15 assists.

The Pacers came out of the game firing and built a 15-2 lead thanks to hot three-point shots. The Mavericks spent the rest of the frame trying to take the lead bit by bit. Luka Doncic got to the finish line first seven times and Naji Marshall scored 11 (including his first three of the season!) to pull Dallas within three points. The Pacers responded with consecutive three-pointers and led 36-29 after 12 minutes of play.

The game continued to be a comedy of defensive errors from both teams. Each team routinely left the ball and/or turned their backs on the ball. These are high-level attacks that put the defense in a difficult situation, but simple players with small dribbles know not to turn their backs on the ball.

The Mavericks pushed and took the lead, but the incredible 76 points the Pacers scored as a team were simply too much to overcome.

Here are the things you should know.

Naji Marshall erupted

There was a lot of optimism around Marshall after his signing. He had struggled in the first few games, but tonight he had a breakthrough. Marshall had 20 points, five rebounds and six assists while being 8 of 9 from the field, 2 of 2 from three and 2 of 2 from the free throw line.

The Mavericks actually outscored the Pacers by five points in his 34 minutes. The season is always more important than any individual game, and if Marshall gets momentum from it, it will be more important than the loss.

PJ Washington's shot goes wide

Washington was 0 of 5 on threes, including a late airball. He was also 2 of 4 on free throws. Washington has too much talent to continue to be this bad. However, the “yips” are a real thing. It's important for Washington to find his sweater before it becomes even more of an issue than it already is.

PJ Washington's defense is amazing

I come not to bury Washington, but to praise him. Washington deserves criticism for his jumper, but he tries so hard on everything else. He contributed another three blocks tonight and was virtually the only Maverick to offer any resistance in that regard.

Hopefully, with Marshall's emergence, the Mavericks will be able to explore more minutes with Washington under center (at the expense of Daniel Gafford's minutes, not Dereck Lively II). When Washington plays with Marshall under center, the importance of his jumper is diminished since there is no other non-shooter on the floor.

Luka Doncic takes care of the ball

Doncic struggled compared to his elite standards earlier this season. Despite the incredible 34 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds and two steals stat lines tonight, he was still inefficient. He shot 9 of 24 from the floor.

However, he only lost the ball twice. That brings him to 18 turnovers in seven games, which is a tiny number for someone with such an offensive load. Doncic will be great on offense. The fewer turnovers could change the game once he sorts everything else out.

Overall, the Mavericks lost to a team that has a history of giving them problems in the second half of back-to-back games. These losses are frustrating, but they happen.

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