3 Takeaways from Pacers' Clutch Win vs Mavericks

Indiana is slowing navigating a return to a .500 record.

Nov 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) celebrates making a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On Monday night, Indiana Pacers 3-and-D center Myles Turner ate, as the kids say, proving his mettle against the Dallas Mavericks in a critical 134-127 win. His 30-point double-double helped the club improve its 2024-25 regular season record to a pseudo-respectable 3-4 thus far, with a rematch slated for Wednesday against an Orlando Magic squad that will now be missing its best player, All-Star power forward Paolo Banchero.

Here are our takeaways:

1. Myles Turner Capitalized On A Major Matchup Advantage

The 6-foot-11 big man scored 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field (5-of-8 from long range) and 5-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe, pulled down 11 rebounds, blocked a shot and swiped a steal. His Dallas counterpart, rim-rolling big man Daniel Gafford, played just 15:08, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe, while grabbing down four rebounds.

2. Tyrese Haliburton Enjoyed His Best Game Of The Year Against Dallas' All-Star Guards

The All-NBA Pacers point guard took full advantage of Dallas All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, scoring 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor (2-of-8 from beyond the arc, but nobody's perfect) and 3-of-6 shooting from the foul line, dished out 12 dimes, pulled down four boards, snagged two steals and blocked a shot in 35:32.

Haliburton also proved critical for the Pacers when it came to holding onto the club's lead late. Though Indiana had led by 10 points late into the contest's fourth frame, Dallas had cut that advantage to just five points with 1:47 remaining in regulation. But Haliburton stopped the bleeding, nailing a 17-foot pull-up jumper at the 50-second mark to help Indiana ice the W.

Doncic and Irving definitely did their part as scorers. Doncic notched 34 points and 15 dimes, while Irving nabbed 27 points.

3. The Pacers Bullied The Mavericks In The Post

Indiana put on a clinic in paint scoring, guided primarily by Turner and power forward Pascal Siakam. The Pacers outscored the Mavericks by a whopping 76-58 in the post, turning the team's center tandem of Gafford and Dwight Powell (Derrick Lively II was out with a sprained shoulder) into turn styles while capitalizing on the well-documented defensive woes of Irving and Doncic on drive-by layups.

If we were to do a fourth takeaway, however, we'd want to note that Indiana also had a robust 3-point shooting night, too. The Pacers had been connecting on 11.5 points of 33.0 triple tries a night (34.8 percent) heading into the game. On Monday night, the team kept up that brisk pace, connecting on 13-of-32 shooting from the field (40.6 percent).

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