The Dallas Mavericks, still missing Dirk Nowitzki, have fallen again to an inferior foe. The Indiana Pacers busted out a 102-89 victory over the shackled Mavs, as Brandon Rush broke through with 20 points and rookie Paul George contributed 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench.
Mavericks Vs. Pacers: Without Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Continues To Struggle
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle went with a different tact in this game, moving super sub Jason Terry back to the bench, DeShawn Stevenson from small forward back to two-guard, Shawn Marion from power forward to small forward and Alexis Ajinca from the end of the bench into the starting line-up alongside Tyson Chandler. Unfortunately, the lack of offense in that starting five (which also includes shot-phobic Jason Kidd) screamed out; it was particularly noticeable in the third quarter, where the Mavericks scored just 17 points.
Terry was actually no savior when he entered to provide the instant offense; he had 18 points, sure, but needed 20 shots to get there. None of Dallas' starters scored more than 13. Indiana is looking for the right piece to fit into the starting power forward slot. Tyler Hansbrough gets low marks for his first audition (six points on 2-6 shooting, three rebounds in 17 minutes), but he'll get plenty of chances.
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