Mavericks collapse late against Pacers, fall 135-131

Dallas led by seven with 1:07 to go and lost in regulation.

Mar 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) dribbles the ball while Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are in a stretch of nine straight games against Eastern Conference opponents, this time traveling to take on the Indiana Pacers and former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. Indiana was playing without Tyrese Haliburton, but Dallas was still missing Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and more.

With those key injuries, Dallas started Spencer Dinwiddie, Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington, Kessler Edwards, and Kai Jones, while Indiana started Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner.

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This was a fast-paced game early, as both teams were getting up and down the floor in a hurry. If Indiana could've made any of its first seven threes, this could've been a much different game. Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard led the way early for the Pacers, but they had a slim lead.

Nembhard finally got a three to fall for the Pacers, allowing them to build a seven-point lead. A travel by Max Christie led to a three for Pascal Siakam, and the lead was suddenly ten. Another travel on the Mavs led to another three for the Pacers, and the lead would be 33-21 for Indiana.

Indiana continued the strong play into the second quarter, as they worked the lead up to 16 on a putback dunk by Thomas Bryant. But P.J. Washington hit three straight buckets for the Mavs to get the lead back down to 10 a few possessions later. The lead would bounce between 10 and 14 before a slam by Kai Jones, beating everyone down the floor in transition, would force a timeout by Rick Carlisle.

Spencer Dinwiddie was dealing dimes in the first half, as a pass to Kessler Edwards while falling out of bounds for three gave Dinwiddie his seventh assist of the game and knocked the lead back into single digits. Jaden Hardy also started to heat up in his first game back from his third ankle sprain this season, hitting a mid-range stepback and a three. Unfortunately for the Mavs, Obi Toppin was feeling it from three and knocked down a couple near the end of the quarter. That helped them to take a 68-57 lead into halftime.

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Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) shoots the ball while Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Pacers got the lead up to 14 in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but a 9-2 run for the Mavs, featuring six points from Kai Jones and an and-one from Dinwiddie, got the lead down to five a few minutes later. After bouncing back and forth between a five and eight-point lead, Dallas got it down to three with a layup from Max Christie. Two free throws from Jaden Hardy got the lead down to one, and he had a layup to take the lead and missed.

After missing a few chances to take the lead, Obi Toppin hit a three in transition to push the lead back up to four. Indiana pushed the lead to six, but Dallas came right back and finally tied the game as Spencer Dinwiddie banked in a runner. Myles Turner split free throws to briefly go back in front, then Jaden Hardy gave the Mavericks their first lead of the night on the next possession. Dallas would take a 91-90 lead into the fourth.

Indiana would tie the game at 93 on the second possession of the fourth, but the Mavs grew their lead to four with a drive from Naji Marshall. Kai Jones then threw down a hammer to expand the lead to six, and the Mavs eventually got it up to nine on a Jaden Hardy three.

Naji Marshall came out of a timeout to push the lead to 11, continuing the Mavs onslaught. Bennedict Mathurin finally stopped the bleeding with a layup, and then the Pacers got a quick three in transition to get back within two possessions, which forced a timeout from Jason Kidd. Another three from Aaron Nesmith, after Naji Marshall split free throws, got the lead down to four. A hectic sequence with exchanged turnovers led to a transition layup for Mathurin. All of a sudden, it was a two-point game again.

The Mavs lead bounced between two and four throughout the next few possessions, as Mathurin scored 10 straight points for the Pacers to match Dallas. But Spencer Dinwiddie rattled in a wild three on the left wing to make it a six-point game with less than 1:40 to go. After a quick Pacers bucket, Max Christie baited Pascal Siakam into a three-shot foul with 1:07 remaining, pushing the lead to seven.

But then Mathurin got to the line to make both, and Jaden Hardy lost the ball on the inbounds, allowing the Pacers to get back within three. PJ Washington split his free throws on the other end and then fouled Indiana on the next sequence. Mathurin made both to make it a two-point game with 36.3 seconds to go.

Washington was fouled on a drive, and he'd go 1/2 again at the line, giving Indiana a chance to close the gap. Dallas fouled Andrew Nembhard not to give up an easy basket, and he'd also go 1/2. Max Christie turned it over on the inbound, and the ball found Nembhard, who hit the three to go ahead by one with 14.7 seconds to go.

After a timeout, there was a questionable offensive foul on Jaden Hardy before the ball could be inbounded. They'd foul Nembhard again, who would go 2/2 this time to go up by three, and now Indiana started to foul to not give up a three.

Jaden Hardy got called for this foul as the Mavs tried to inbound. Pacers ball with 14.7 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/oMeYum36sU

— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) March 20, 2025

Hardy missed the first and made the second, and they'd foul Aaron Nesmith immediately. He'd make both, and the Pacers would go on to win 135-131.

Fourth-quarter free throws cost the Mavs, as they had a lot of trips going 1/2. They were 12/18 in the period. Between that and a few late turnovers, they just made too many mistakes.

The Mavericks had six players in double figures, including three with at least 20 points, led by PJ Washington's 26 points. Jaden Hardy returned from a seven-game absence to give the Mavs 24 points on 8/13 shooting, and Naji Marshall wasn't far behind with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Kai Jones had a double-double in his first career start (18 points, 11 rebounds, 8/9 FG shooting), and Spencer Dinwiddie also had a double-double with 17 points and 12 assists. Max Christie was also in double figures with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Indiana was led by Pascal Siakam's 29 points, followed by Bennedict Mathurin's 23 (16 came in the 4th quarter). Andrew Nembhard (22 points), Aaron Nesmith (18 points), and Obi Toppin (13 points) were also in double figures for the Pacers.

Dallas will return home to face the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

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