Breaking Down Pacers Lineup Ahead of Mavs Monday Matchup

The Indiana Pacers, coming off a solid season in which they lost to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals, come to Dallas looking to extend their streak against the Mavericks after beating them both times they played. last season. In those two contests, the Pacers scored 137 and 133 points, giving the Mavericks plenty of trouble on the perimeter as they hit 18-of-39 threes in one game and 14-of-31 in the other.

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The starting shooter is up in the air tonight, but the typical player in this role is Andrew Nembhardtwhich is a match-time decision with a knee problem. Given the amount of injuries Indiana has already suffered, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Pacers sit Nembhard to make sure he doesn’t re-aggravate the injury. If so, they will play sophomore guard/wing Ben Shepparda long-range shooter who connected on 6-of-11 threes in his last game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 1.

The Pacers are also a bit beat up at the small forward position, missing starters Aaron Nesmith. Meanwhile wing Benedict Mathurin has done an admirable job filling his role, averaging 16.3 points per game. game at 53.3% from the field this season. They will use a mix of Mathurin, Sheppard and Jarace Walker at forward tonight against Dallas, with Mathurin getting the lion’s share of reps at that position.

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Pascal Siakam will hold down the power forward spot for the Pacers, an elite talent acquired in January 2024 from Toronto that significantly raised the ceiling for this Indiana unit. On the year, the do-it-all forward is averaging 19.8 points, 7.3 boards and 5.3 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field. Walker could also play minutes at the four when Siakam needs rest.

In the center is Myles Turnera University of Texas product who has played his entire career with Indiana. A big floor-spanner who can also run the rim, Turner has averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds this season with the Pacers, along with 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. While he’s a decent shot blocker, he’s struggled at times to protect the paint and rebound at a high level, meaning the Mavs’ two centers should be able to handle their duties at the rim.

While the Pacers are struggling on the offensive end of late, Dallas is on the second night of a back-to-back and Indiana is coming off two days’ rest. This could mean an energy deficit for Dallas, but luckily they have enough of the talent differential in their favor to overcome this, barring last year’s results. To win, Dallas will need to force Haliburton to shoot from the outside instead of drive and kick, as well as limit the impact Siakam can have. If they can do those two things, they should win.

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