Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds, as the Dallas Mavericks led wire-to-wire in a 91-82 victory over the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Center.
Mavericks Top Pacers 91-82, Dirk Scores 23
Jason Terry added 14 points off the bench for the Mavericks, who have won four in a row. Brendan Haywood had 13 points and tied a career high with 20 rebounds. Jason Kidd chipped in 10 points and seven assists for Dallas, which has won five straight against Indiana.
T.J. Ford finished with 14 points off the bench for the Pacers, who fell to 1-2 on a four-game road trip and have lost five of six overall. Troy Murphy added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana, which was without star forward Danny Granger due to personal reasons.
The Mavericks used a 14-6 run in the middle stages of the first quarter to build a 10-point lead. Terry’s two free throws made it 20-10 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. Dallas held a 29-20 margin after 12 minutes.
Following a back-and-forth second, the Mavs took a 49-41 edge into the locker room.
Ahead 57-48 with over eight minutes to play in the third, Dallas ripped off seven consecutive points. Kidd’s trey made it a 64-48 game. However, the Pacers scored the final five points of the frame to get within 72-61 heading to the fourth.
The Mavericks started the fourth on a 13-3 spurt to essentially seal the victory. Nowitzki’s jumper had Dallas in front 85-64 with less than 8 1/2 minutes remaining.
The Pacers closed the game on a 14-1 run to make the final score look closer than it really was.
Dallas has won 10 of the past 12 overall meetings in this series and six straight as the host...The Mavericks shot 38.6 percent from the field, while the Pacers made 36.9 percent of their shots...Indiana went 3-of-23 from three- point range.
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