Pacers-Mavericks Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Feb 02 2012 4:01PM

Rick Carlisle still keeps close tabs on his previous team, and the Dallas Mavericks coach thinks the Indiana Pacers are legitimate contenders.

The Pacers go for a season-high fourth straight victory Friday night when they look to win in Dallas for the first time in eight seasons.

Carlisle's stint with Indiana (15-6) from 2003-07 included a 61-win campaign his first season. He maintains a close relationship with Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird and spent two seasons coaching current star forward Danny Granger.

Indiana has not had a winning season since Carlisle's team went 44-38 in 2004-05. This edition of the Pacers is poised to end that skid, getting off to the franchise's best start since the 2003-04 team.

"They've got all the ingredients of championship teams - they've got athleticism, length, skill and size," Carlisle told the Pacers' official website. "They're going to be a major factor."

The addition of former All-Star David West to complement a frontcourt that already consisted of Granger and center Roy Hibbert has helped Indiana develop into one of the league's top defensive teams, limiting foes to 41.8 percent shooting.

"It's so great to see Larry's vision be realized because he knew this was going to take some time," Carlisle said. "He knew he was going to have to be opportunistic with acquiring veteran players to go with Granger and some of the young pieces."

Carlisle, meanwhile, was ejected from Wednesday's 95-86 home loss to Oklahoma City, picking up a second technical for kicking a ball into the stands. He apologized to owner Mark Cuban and the fans after the game.

The Mavericks (14-9) were without key players. Jason Kidd missed his third straight game with a strained right calf, starting center Brendan Haywood was out with lower back tightness and Lamar Odom was sent home with a stomach ailment.

Haywood and Odom could be back after returning to practice Thursday.

Dirk Nowitzki's struggles continued with eight points on 2-of-15 shooting. Nowitzki is averaging 9.3 points on 28.2 percent shooting in three games after a planned four-game absence to strengthen his knee and work on conditioning.

The German superstar said his knee is better than it was two weeks ago, "But sometimes I don't have enough confidence in my movement if I try to make a hard move."

Granger, meanwhile, enters after scoring a season-high 36 points in Wednesday's 109-99 victory at Minnesota. His huge effort seemed to be sparked by a skirmish with the Timberwolves' Kevin Love.

"Danny took over," Hibbert said. "When you get the Grange mad, that's what you get, you know?"

The Pacers ended a five-game losing streak to Dallas with a 102-89 home victory Jan. 12, 2011, with Nowitzki sidelined by a sore right knee. Nowitzki had 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting in a 116-108 home win over Indiana on March 4.

The Pacers are 3-1 on the road against Western Conference foes after going 2-13 last season. They have lost seven straight at Dallas since a 92-80 win Jan. 9, 2004.

"The reality is, at this point, they're one of a handful of teams that's a legit contender for a title," said Carlisle about the Pacers.

Pacers tops Mavs for 1st win in Dallas in 8 years

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Posted Feb 04 2012 1:44AM

DALLAS (AP) Paul George and the Indiana Pacers are getting more and more confident.

They should be with the way they're playing - especially on the road.

George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points as the Pacers won in Dallas for the first time in eight years, beating the defending NBA champions 98-87 Friday night.

"Yeah, he's oozing confidence, as is our whole team," coach Frank Vogel said.

The Pacers have won four consecutive games, three of those on the road. Their 10 road victories are tied with Chicago for the most in the NBA this season.

Indiana took the lead for good with seven consecutive points in the first 2 minutes of the second half. George made a go-ahead running layup then had a steal that he turned into a dunk and a free throw.

"I've grown into a confident player. I feel like I can knock down any shot," said George, the second-year post player from Fresno State. "I've got a comfort level out there right now."

The Pacers had lost 11 of their previous 12 road games against the Mavs, winning only in 2004. This was their only scheduled meeting this year against Dallas.

There was also the impressive segment early in the fourth quarter when George blocked a fast-break layup attempt by Jason Terry. The Pacers got the rebound and quickly went the other way, with George hitting a 3-pointer.

George also had five assists, five steals and no turnovers in more than 41 minutes.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a performance like PG gave us from both ends of the floor," Vogel said.

David West added 20 points for the Pacers, while Danny Granger had 16 and Darren Collison 13. Roy Hibbert, the other Indiana starter, had nine points and 14 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 30 for Dallas on 12-of-17 shooting. That was a big boost for last year's NBA finals MVP, who was playing his fourth game after a planned four-game hiatus to strengthen his sore right knee.

"At least Dirk was able to get into a rhythm tonight," Shawn Marion said.

In the previous three games since returning, Nowitzki had scored only 28 total points while shooting 28 percent (11 of 39). That led to NBA analyst Charles Barkley saying during an appearance on ESPN Dallas radio this week that Nowitzki's role as one of the league's top players was fading fast.

"I had some good looks and knocked them down. I finally got into a good rhythm. The strength in my legs is coming back. Hard work always pays off," Nowitzki said. "I couldn't prove him wrong the last couple of weeks."

Vince Carter added 14 points for Dallas, which has lost consecutive games at home for the first time since losing the first two games of the season back in December.

Dallas had a 53-52 halftime lead before Indiana's quick second-half surge.

George had the quick layup, then a steal after a bad pass by Nowitzki. The Mavericks had two more turnovers before Collison's 21-foot jumper made it 59-53 and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle called time out.

The Pacers stretched the lead to 69-59 on a 3-pointer by George. That ended a session when Hibbert missed inside, West got the rebound and pushed the ball outside to one wing before it went to George on the right side.

George's seven 3s were one off the Indiana franchise record set by Reggie Miller in 1997.

"He's a good player. We played a lot of zone tonight and we lost him a few times on the zone," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's a good 3-point shooter. He made shots and there were other plays we made mistakes on. He had a big night and they had a lot of other guys who played well too."

The Pacers got off to a fast start, making their first eight shots and taking a 25-17 lead on Granger's 3-pointer less than 6 minutes into the game. They finished at 43 percent (37 of 87).

Nowtizki had 20 points by halftime, when he was already 9-of-11 shooting.

Things were still going good for Nowitzki when, with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game, he was falling away from the basket and flung a ball up and in while being fouled. He added the free throw, but the Mavs still trailed by 11.

"Every day he's moving better. At some point, this kind of game was going to be a reality," Carlisle said. "It was great to see because he was doing everything. He was shooting the ball, he was driving the ball, rebounding. Overall, he was very active. Very positive."

Notes: Mavericks 7-foot center Brendan Haywood used both hands to shove 6-6 Dahntay Jones when they were face-to-face and yapping at each other near the Dallas basket after a made shot with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Officials conferred and called a double technical foul. ... Dallas guard Jason Kidd missed his fourth consecutive game because of a strained right calf. He will also miss Saturday's game at Cleveland, but said he is feeling better and could be back for the next game, Wednesday night at Denver. ... The Pacers were without George Hill (chip fracture left ankle) and Jeff Foster (lower back). Foster hasn't dressed for the last 10 games, Hill for the last two.

Notebook: Pacers 98, Mavericks 87

By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Friday February 3, 2012 11:58PM

THE FACTS: No, Dallas. That wasn't Reggie Miller. That was second-year guard Paul George stroking seven 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 30 points Friday as Indiana stretched its winning streak to four with a 98-87 road victory against the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki led the defending champs with a season-high 30 points, but Dallas was defenseless against the perimeter shooting of George and the Pacers (12-for-25 from 3-point distance).

David West added 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting, Danny Granger scored 16 and Roy Hibbert grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Indiana won the rebounding battle 48-42 and scored 21 points off 16 Dallas turnovers.

QUOTABLE: "You got to be excited to play the defending champs. I went out there and really just gave them my all. The way I've been playing, I've grown to a comfort level. I just feel like I can knock down any shot now."
-- George, who was 7-for-11 from behind the arc.

THE STAT: The Pacers improved to 10-5 on the road, matching the Bulls for the most road wins in the NBA. They are 4-1 away from home against Western Conference teams after going 2-13 last season. Indiana, which ended a seven-game losing streak in Dallas, has also halted long losing skids in Chicago (13 games), Boston (seven) and Orlando (six) already this season.

TURNING POINT: Indiana took command midway through the third with a 10-0 run, building a 71-59 lead with 3-pointers from Granger and George and midrange jumpers by Granger and West. The Pacers protect late leads as well as anyone, improving to 13-1 when leading entering the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "He's oozing confidence, as is our whole team. The kid is just good at pretty much everything. And he's pure. He's refreshing to coach and he's just got a pure desire to be great, and it's showing up on the court."
-- Indiana head coach Frank Vogel on George.

HOT: Instead of looking old, Nowitzki looked like his old self. After scoring a combined 28 points on 11-for-39 shooting during a three-game shooting slump, he racked up 30 with a 12-for-17 effort against the Pacers. He sank his first six shots and nine of his first 10, scoring 20 points in the first half.

NOT: Another brick-filled second half spelled doom for Dallas. The Mavericks shot 32 percent (12-for-37) after the break, on the heels of a 21 percent debacle (8-for-38) in Wednesday's home loss against Oklahoma City.

GOOD MOVE: Mavericks center Brendan Haywood (six points, six rebounds, four blocks) managed to flush a dunk with 3:21 left in the first quarter despite being nearly blindfolded when his headband slipped down over his face.

BAD MOVE: Dallas guard Rodrigue Beaubois got nothing but rim when he attempted a one-handed breakaway slam late in the first half. Teammate Shawn Marion bailed him out with the offensive board and putback.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: In addition to a career high in points, George tied his career highs in steals (five) and assists (five) and matched his season high in rebounds (nine). During one sequence early in the fourth quarter, he blocked a fastbreak layup attempt by Jason Terry, sprinted back down the court and buried a 3-pointer.

NOTABLE: Dallas point guard Jason Kidd missed his fourth straight game with a strained right calf. ... Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle coached the Pacers for four seasons (2003-07), leading them to three straight playoff appearances. ... Indiana (16-6) is off to its best start since 2003-04 (17-5). ... The Pacers are 15-0 when scoring 90 or more points. ... Dallas is 0-7 when fewer than four players score in double figures. Only Vince Carter (14 points) and Terry (10) joined Nowitzki. ... Indiana opened the game by going 8-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 at the line in the first six-plus minutes.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Saturday @ Cleveland, Wednesday @ Denver, Friday @ Minnesota. For the Pacers, Saturday vs. Orlando, Tuesday vs. Utah, Wednesday @ Atlanta.

• Pacers: --
• Mavericks: Kidd, Williams

• Pacers: Jones
• Mavericks: Haywood, Odom

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #40 Leon Wood, #8 Marc Davis, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 20146
• Duration: 2:09