Final: Mavs 109, Pacers 103

Box Score | Highlights

Behind the Box Score

Wesley Matthews made the 1,400th 3-pointer of his career tonight. He’s the sixth-fastest player in NBA history to reach 14,000 treys, doing so in his 652nd game. Former Mav Peja Stojakovic is one place ahead of him on that list at 640.

Dirk Nowitzki scored seven points tonight, moving him to within seven points of 31,000 for his career. He’ll be the sixth player ever to reach that milestone. Should be a pretty cool moment on Wednesday night.

Dwight Powell grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.

Notebook

  • The bench lineup was once again an extreme positive. One game after outscoring the Jazz 30-10 during an extended stretch in the first half, the five-man lineup of J.J. Barea, Yogi Ferrell, Doug McDermott, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwight Powell went on a majestic run in the second half tonight, ending the game a whopping +18 as a group. This lineup can do a little bit of everything. It has plus 3-point shooting at four positions and a very good lob threat, two excellent big man screeners, and one of the best point guards in the NBA at orchestrating the pick-and-roll. With complete freedom at the wheel, Barea has made this lineup his own. The ball moves and everyone finds open shots, sometimes even when they least expect it.

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    I mean, when you’re on, you’re on. That bunch is playing with such confidence that they make nice plays look beautiful and difficult plays look easy. It’s been a lot of fun to watch. McDermott, by the way, has now scored in double-figures in three straight games and has scored at least eight points in five of his six games since joining the Mavericks. He’s fit in very smoothly in his short time here.

  • Harrison Barnes might not have had an especially gaudy score line, but after a tough shooting night in Utah he seemed to play a more comfortable, confident game. For the second contest in a row, he opened the Mavs’ scoring with an and-1 dunk.

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    Barnes has made a concerted effort to get to the rim as much as possible this season, and his drive numbers have reflected his efforts. He’s shown off a nice spin move many times, and he’s mixing in some other one-on-one moves as his time in Dallas has gone on. Plays like this dunk, though, could turn him into a greater threat in defense’s eyes. If opposing teams know he’s capable of throwing down on guys like this, they might be more likely to send double-teams when he’s isolated on the block against a similarly sized player, which could open up things for his teammates on the perimeter. Barnes has established himself as a very strong isolation player and is now becoming more adept in the post, as well. He’s adding nice dimension to his game.

    What’s Next

    The Mavs (19-42) will play the Oklahoma City Thunder (34-27) on Monday at American Airlines Center at 7:30 p.m. Central.

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