Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Film Study: How Mavs' Defense Can Improve After Giving Up 133 Points vs. Pacers

Originally posted on FanNation Dallas Basketball
By Grant Afseth | Last updated 2/27/24

CLEVELAND — After producing the NBA's best defensive rating throughout their seven-game win streak, the Dallas Mavericks gave up 133 points in a loss against the Indiana Pacers during a four-game Eastern Conference road trip.

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner put a lot of pressure on the Mavs' defense in pick-and-roll sequences. Turner led with 33 points, while Haliburton chipped in 17 points and 10 assists. Indiana had a staggering 38 assists overall with seven double-figure scorers, including all five starters.

“Haliburton causes a problem driving,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He does a great job of finding or dumping off. But I thought when you look at Turner and his ability to short-roll — or when someone drives and he kind of finds his way at the top of the key or at the top of the three-point line — he was wide open tonight. So, we have to do better.”

The Pacers are known for being a run-and-gun team, and while the Mavs have also succeeded in playing at a faster pace lately, they struggled to take care of the ball and sorely struggled to get back on defense to prevent simple scoring chances.

“They’re good,” Kidd said of the Pacers. “Again, with their pace and being able to drive it and put it on the floor, you have four guys out there who can definitely drive it and cause a problem. This will be something that we look at. We don’t face this a lot of times, so this is a good test for our defense, and we can be better. Tonight, our offense didn’t capitalize on a lot of opportunities.”

You can watch the full breakdown of the Mavs' defense against the Pacers in the embedded video below. For more video content throughout the season, subscribe to my YouTube channel.