DALLAS — Guard Brandon Williams scored 20 points to lead the Mavericks to a 107-105 win over the Pacers on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena, holding on after the Pacers rallied back to within two points in the final seconds but Aaron Nesmith missed a clean look at a 3-pointer that would have won it just before the buzzer.
The Pacers fell to 0-4, losing all three games on their first road trip of the season. It’s the second-worst start for a Pacers team in franchise history after losing nine straight to start the 1988-89 season. The Mavericks improved to 2-3.
Dwight Powell scored 18 points for the Mavericks and rookie Cooper Flagg added 15. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Jarace Walker scored 20 and point guard RayJ Dennis added 17.
Here are three observations.
Pacers go up 14 but then fall apart with massive drought
Through the first 18 minutes of Wednesday’s game, the Pacers seemed in total control. They were bringing heat on defense, winning on the glass and hitting enough shots to take advantage of a Dallas team that suddenly found itself without Anthony Davis, who went to the locker room with left lower leg soreness and did not return.
The Pacers took a 50-36 lead on a putback layup by Isaiah Jackson with 6:18 to go, having won the first quarter 30-25 and started the second period on a 20-11 run.
But when the Pacers went cold, they went frigid. Following Jackson’s put-back they went six possessions without a score and finished the quarter 2 of 10 from the field. They still led 55-52 at halftime, but that was clearly a tenuous situation.
The lead disintegrated early in the third quarter as the Pacers shot an abysmal 7 of 28 from the floor in the period, making just 1 of 11 3-pointers for just 19 points. The Pacers rallied back in the fourth quarter and scored 31 points but still shot 18 of 56 from the floor, 7 of 26 from 3 in the second half.
Some of that obviously had to do with the Pacers being short-handed, but they got a rough shooting night from players who would be in a fully healthy rotation. Nesmith, who made 43.1% of his 3-pointers last season and was even better in the playoffs, made just 2 of 16 field goals and 1 of 9 3-pointers and missed the 3-pointer just before the buzzer. Forward Jarace Walker was 5 of 19, though 4 of 10 from 3 for his 20 points. Ben Sheppard was 1 of 7, 0 of 4. They finished 37 of 106 for the game (34.9%), and 13 of 45 (28.9%) from 3-point range.
RayJ Dennis giving the Pacers good minutes at point guard
With Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell out with injuries, the Pacers have tried a number of other options at point guard who haven’t played the position much, including Ben Sheppard, Taelon Peter and Quenton Jackson but their most effective so far has been the most natural point guard, at least on the offensive end.
RayJ Dennis, who played 70 NBA minutes in 11 games last season, scored in double-figures for the second straight game on Wednesday, finishing with 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting including 4 of 7 from 3-point range in 30 minutes. He also registered five assists. The Pacers were +13 when he was on the floor.
Mac McClung shows energy in debut
Mac McClung signed with the Pacers on Monday, had his first practice Tuesday and then was on the floor to start the second quarter Wednesday. They signed him because they desperately needed a spark in their decimated backcourt and he provided it.
McClung missed his first shot, a 3-point attempt, but made an impact on the defensive end with a steal, a deflected pass and a rebound. His first field goal was a 3-pointer that also drew a foul and he nailed the free throw for a four-point play. He added another free throw later in the period and had five points at halftime and was a +7 in just 5:25 on the floor. He finished the game with seven points, two rebounds and two steals.
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