Wesley Matthews matched a season high with 26 points, Harrison Barnes had 25 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 111-103 on Friday night for just their third win in 15 games.
Two nights after a listless second half in a 31-point home loss to Sacramento prompted a team meeting, the Mavericks started the third quarter with a 10-2 run that gave them a double-digit lead.
Matthews outscored the Pacers by himself during a 32-11 spurt that turned a 50-42 deficit into a 74-71 lead. The shooting guard had 16 points during the run, capped by a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter.
Indiana had 10 3-pointers in the first quarter and a half, including four from Dallas high school product C.J. Miles. But the Pacers couldn't sustain it against the NBA's worst defensive team at the arc, finishing 14 of 25.
Paul George scored 22 points to lead the Pacers (11-12), who failed for the third straight time with a chance to get above .500. Indiana hasn't had a winning record since dropping Game 2 at Brooklyn after beating Dallas at home in overtime in the opener.
The Mavericks (5-17) shot 58 percent in the third quarter, making six of 12 from long range and outscoring the Pacers 31-25. In a 120-89 loss to Sacramento on Wednesday, Dallas was outscored 29-12 in the third.
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Pacers: Indiana made its first 24 free throws before Jeff Teague missed the first of two with 1:34 remaining. The Pacers finished 25 of 26. ... Myles Turner, who grew up in the Dallas area, scored 18 points. He had 30 in the first meeting. ... Former Dallas G Monta Ellis was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting. ... Miles scored 18 points, going 6 of 9 from long range.
Mavericks: G Seth Curry returned after missing four games with a right knee sprain. He matched Deron Williams for the team lead with six assists and scored four points. Williams scored 16. ... The Mavericks scored their most points in regulation, topping a 109-97 win at the Lakers.
UP NEXT
Pacers: After the first of two five-game trips, a season high, Indiana plays a pair of home games against Portland (Saturday) and Charlotte (Monday) before three more away from home.
Mavericks: A visit to Houston on Saturday is followed by home games against Denver (Monday) and Detroit (Wednesday) with Dallas in a stretch of seven out of nine at home.
