Maturing Mathurin helps push Pacers past Mavs

The Pacers smaller rotation fit just right against the Mavs on Monday night with the stars shining bright and role players making an impact.

The Pacers delivered their most impressive win thus far in the early part of the season, pushing the pace while staying strong down the stretch to beat the Mavericks, 134-127.

The team’s stars were shining bright lead by Dallas native, Myles Turner who pumped in 30 points with 11 rebounds to lead the attack. Tyrese Haliburton was just 2 of 8 from 3-land but had his best all around game, not missing a shot inside the arc and running the show with 25 points and 12 assists. Pascal Siakam was his steady, reliable self with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Turner’s 17 FGAs were the most among the three as they delivered an efficient 78 points.

While the Pacers were dealing with a light front court after losing Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, the Mavs were an ideal opponent. They were also missing some front court firepower, playing without Derek Lively II, the dynamic big man around the rim which helped as Turner was able to have his way with Daniel Gafford.

So, YES, the big guns played a big part in this Pacers W. But Benn Mathurin and Jarace Walker, two highly scrutinized Pacers, both stepped up in different ways to impact the final result.

Mathurin showed how his game is maturing in his third season, allowing his offensive game to come to him without forcing the action in the first half. He remained in the mix, putting in a strong effort on the defensive end, while also hitting the glass as he turned it on in the second half and more importantly at winning time in the fourth quarter.

Photo: FanDuel Sports Network

Mathurin finished the game with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, but he grabbed six of those rebounds in the second half while scoring 11 points in the deciding fourth quarter. All while keeping a running dialog with Luka Doncic who seemed to enjoy the chance to school the young fella on trash talk etiquette. BTW, Doncic was all in for this one, finishing with 34 points and 15 assists with ample free throws (12 for 15) and 24 FGAs.

The Pacers seemed to seize control of the game late in the fourth quarter, going up by eight points with three minutes to go, but the potent Mavs offense with Luka and Kyrie weren’t done. Kyrie cut the lead to six and then Mathurin squared up behind the arc with Luka. After a couple of jab steps, he rose up and buried a 3-ball in Luka’s eye to push the lead back to nine. Mathurin couldn’t help but laugh on the way back down the court as Luka told him to talk his shit early not late.

The Mavs weren’t done and cut the lead to five points with a minute left in what felt like the Pacers in the midst of another late fade despite the quality effort up to that point.

Instead, after the timeout, the Pacers closed out the Mavs with a free throw jumper from Tyrese, followed by a stop and transition reverse layup from Mathurin. Just like that the Pacers were back up by nine points with 16 seconds to go and the W was secured.

Mathurin rose up when it mattered most to provide a perfect complement to the Pacers top three players who delivered all night. With Aaron Nesmith out, Mathurin will remain in the starting lineup and considering the small sample size net rating of +26.9 compared to a -9.4 with Nesmith, that change may stick. Regardless, Mathurin has earned his minutes going forward.

Jarace Walker is trying to take advantage of his situation with the open front court opportunities. He played 14 minutes in Dallas, hitting a 3-ball and grabbing 5 rebounds with 2 assists. His focus on defense and rebounding was apparent and earned him early rotation run in the second half. During his initial first half stint, Walker was passive and deferring on the offensive end until he settled in for a bit and then become more active. All part of the process of putting it all together.

Defensively, Walker had time on Luka which included a possession that was worthy of high praise. Using his wingspan and not falling for repeated fakes, Walker stoned Luka’s best effort, forcing him to eventually flip a fadeaway shot into a pass to Kyrie who then lost his dribble to TJ McConnell for a steal.

So on a night with plenty of praise to go around, those efforts by Mathurin and Walker were a welcomed sight and very impactful in the end result, sending the Pacers home with a W.

The Pacers will have a chance to stack wins with the shorthanded Magic at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. Paolo Banchero threw 50 at the Pacers in the last meeting but he is now out injured, as is big man Wendell Carter Jr. The Magic have front court depth which will mean an expected, classic matchup between Myles Turner and former Pacer, Goga Bitadze.

Rick Carlisle had his weekly Tuesday spot on The Wake Up Call with KB and Andy which is always an interesting conversation with the Pacers coach. Among the topics was rebounding, with Carlisle quite happy to see his team finish +8 against the Mavs as they move to 3-0 in games when they win the rebounding battle.

Pacers vs. Magic

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

When: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers -6.5

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Magic: Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tristan da Silva, Franz Wagner, Goga Bitadze

Injuries

Pacers: Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - out, James Wiseman (Achilles) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out

Magic: Paolo Banchero (oblique) - out, Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) - out