Mavs set franchise best for 3s but lose to Magic in OT

Zaza Pachulia earned another double-double with 11 points and 19 rebounds and D-Will led the way with 7 assists. Aaron Gordon had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Indiana Pacers overcame their own mistakes and missed shots to get another big win.

Meanwhile, guard Wesley Matthews had just five points on 2-of-10 shots in 37 minutes, and admitted he’s not carrying his weight.

The Mavericks were outscored 38-23 in the fourth quarter and overtime.

In coach Rick Carlisle’s opinion, this is part of a re-evaluation of who’s who in the clutch: “I told the team yesterday, there’s nobody in indelible marker as a closer on this team, with the exception of Dirk and D-Will”. The key to the victory was getting all of those stops late in the game. “(On Friday night), as the game got more physical, we actually rose to that challenge….

CJ Miles and Ian Mahinmi had 14 points apiece for the Pacers and Jordan Hill added 13 points and 10 rebounds. “Everyone came back with a goal we’re trying to meet, and that’s finishing the second half strong and catch fire leading into the playoffs”. The Mavericks went into Thursday’s games averaging the second-least turnovers per game (12.3).3. The Magic still have a quality starting lineup, and the thought may be that with Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings that Scott Skiles has couple former players under his watch to help the team establish its new identity.

It would be silly to compare the Magic to the Golden State Warriors, but when you watch the Warriors play, everything about how they approach the game on both ends of the court is so fluid.

And the Mavs know a lengthy home stand – they play nine of their next 10 at home – won’t exactly solve the problem if they don’t get out and bust their guts and do what’s necessary in order to win games. Shooting was the biggest concern regarding Payton when he was selected 10th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, and he shot just 26 percent from downtown as a rookie.

Gordon admitted his team missed “a lot of bunnies”, and that missing those, along with free throws, comes back to bite you, especially in a close game.

“We feel like we can do something here”, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “Missed layups, missed free throws, a ton of busted defensive coverages”. The game will begin at 6:00 central time and will be played at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. And although the cat-quick guard appears to be nearing a return during the team’s upcoming six-game homestead, the Mavericks will try to capture an eight straight win in the head-to-head series against the Magic (23-29) without his services.

The Pacers shot 50 percent from the field (41 of 82) to overcome a woeful 17 turnovers in the first half.

The teams were tied 47-all at the break, and IN led 80-79 after three quarters.

On the season, the Indiana Pacers average 102.5 points, 44.1 rebounds and 20.4 assists. The 76ers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 1 days rest.

“Well, they’ve traded a guy that wasn’t playing the last three or four games for two guys that are going to be available and are both very good three-point shooters”.