On Dec. 10, the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Indiana Pacers 106-93. The loss dropped Dallas to one game under .500, 12-13. It was the Mavericks six loss in eight games and things were not looking good.
The Mavericks were struggling with a static roster and new coaching staff. Role players were slumping, Kristaps Porzingis still had an awkward fit, and Luka Doncic was laboring a sluggish start amid questions about his fitness. To make matters worse, the next day after that game, it was announced that Doncic would miss some time to heal a bad ankle that had been nagging him for the previous couple of weeks.