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The Indiana Pacers pieced together an impressive second half to turn a 48-47 halftime deficit into a comfortable victory. Indiana outscored the Dallas Mavericks 62-34 in the second half, getting big defensive contributions in the form of turnovers, leading to quick, easy baskets. It was a night Indiana was able to score easier than Dallas, and a huge gap in points off turnovers (Indiana 17-5) and fast break points (Indiana 20-3) proved just what they needed to grab the win.
Indiana got a huge boost from Monta Ellis in the second half. Ellis scored 19 in the second half after blanking from the floor in the first. The improved play from Ellis was a welcome sight against his old team, mirroring Indiana's success in the game. The Pacers shot just 28% in the first quarter, but opened things in the second half to finish at 48.4% for the night.
The Pacers held Dallas to just 36.7% for the night, coming up with nine steals on Dallas's 12 turnovers. Indiana not only shot better, controlled the ball better (turning it over just eight times), but the ball movement was also in the Pacers' favor on the night, with 28 of their 42 field goals coming off of assists.
C.J. Miles was Indiana's leading scorer on the night, scoring 20 with Paul George putting in 19. They each had seven rebounds. George Hill also reached double figures with 11 points. Rodney Stuckey led the Pacers with seven assists to go along with his 12 points, as Ian Mahinmi pulled in 10 rebounds with five points.
With another sound defensive effort, the Pacers are once again trending in the right direction, in time for the last game in their three game homestand against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.