The defensive end of the ball proved the issue yet again for the Indiana Pacers, suffering a second straight double figure loss, this time at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks torched the Pacers inside, not only scoring 62 points in the paint, but doing so with precision, consistency, and ease.
From a game flow perspective, it was a familiar pattern every quarter: Pacers fall behind by double figures, climb back, make it respectable heading into the next period. By the time they got to the fourth, Dallas overcame their struggles from deep, hitting four in the quarter, to run away from Indiana in the end.