INDIANAPOLIS – For seemingly the umpteenth time in this heartbreaker of a season, the basketball gods appear to have turned their backs on the Dallas Mavericks once again.
Ahead by seven points with under a minute remaining in Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, the Mavs appeared to hold the keys to victory snugly in their hip pocket. But everything that could go wrong down the stretch went wrong, and they left Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a disappointing and very frustrating 135-131 loss to the Pacers.
The loss was the ninth in the last 10 games for the Mavs, who will take a 33-37 record into Friday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons. The Mavs also dropped to the No. 11 spot in the Western Conference standings, which would put them out of the play-in tournament and in the NBA Draft Lottery if the season ended at this time.
To a man, the Mavs know they should have gotten out of Indianapolis with a victory. But they committed three unimaginable turnovers and also missed three free throws in the final minute, and those missteps wound up costing them dearly.
“Yeah, you can, I guess say we let it slip away,” coach Jason Kidd said. “I thought we put ourselves in a great position with the group we had. They played hard. We just made a couple of mistakes there late.
“But a great learning experience. We could have found a way to be better there at the 
end. We just came up short.”
It was an inspiring effort by the Mavs, who trailed, 37-21, early in the second quarter, but battled back and eventually held a 91-90 lead going into the fourth quarter after outscoring Indiana, 34-22, in the third quarter.
“We talked pregame about the third quarter has been the one that’s hurt us, and I thought the group did an incredible job of coming out (after) halftime,” Kidd said. “And to score 40 points in the fourth (quarter), we had control of the game.
“If we can take care of the ball we’ll have ourselves in a position to win. But we didn’t and we’ll learn from that.”
A pair of baskets by P.J. Washington, a dunk from Kai Jones, a three-pointer by Jaden Hardy and a bucket inside the paint from Naji Marshall padded the Mavs’ lead to 112-101 with 6:07 remaining. But the Pacers ended the contest on a 34-19 run and increased their record to 39-29.
“A lot of guys in our locker room feel like we (let one get away),” said Hardy, who tallied 24 points in 24 minutes. “But we’re going to move past it and lock in on this next one.
“It’s real tough to be up and then for it to play out like it did. I feel like with the fight that we put up we wanted to leave here with a win.”
In playing for the first time after missing seven games with a sprained right ankle, Hardy was impressive while going 8-of-13 from the field. He also was part of a crucial play when he was whistled for a controversial offensive foul against Aaron Nesmith with 14.1 seconds left as the Mavs were attempting to inbound the ball while trailing, 131-130.
“I thought I was being held on that last play where they gave me the offensive foul,” Hardy said. “I was just trying to get myself open, really. It’s kind of hard when somebody’s grabbing you. I’m just trying to get space to get separation to start the play.”
In his analysis of the play in question involving Hardy and Nesmith, Kidd said: “I haven’t looked at the play. But that’s the call and you go with the call.”
The Mavs intentionally fouled Andrew Nembhard and he made a couple of free throws to give Indiana a 133-130 lead with 12.1 seconds to go. The Pacers then intentionally fouled Hardy, who proceeded to miss the first free throw, but convert the second one with nine seconds remaining. That left the Mavs down, 133-131.
Two charity tosses by Nesmith with 8.1 seconds to go accounted for the game’s final points and left the Mavs exasperated.
“We played a beautiful game,” said Kai Jones, who was 8-of-9 from the field and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. “I love the way we fought back.
“It’s a learning experience for sure. We got to take the good out of it and stay positive and move forward, but I’m proud of the way the team played. We did a great job fighting back.”
In addition to what they got from Hardy and Jones, the Mavs got 26 points from Washington, 20 points from Marshall, 17 points and eight rebounds from Max
Christie, and 17 points, 12 assists and three steals from Spencer Dinwiddie. It was a turnover in the backcourt by Christie that led to a clutch three-pointer from Nembhard that put Indiana up, 131-130, with 16 seconds to go.
“It’s not just the Christie play,” Kidd said. “It’s not just the Hardy turnover. We got to be better for the guys. They’re fighting.
“It’s only eight of them and they’re giving everything they got. Again, tonight the ball just didn’t bounce our way when we needed it to.”
Because of injuries and an illness, the Mavs suited up the NBA-minimum to play a game of eight players. Sitting out were Kyrie Irving (left knee ACL surgery), Anthony Davis (strained left adductor), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Klay Thompson (illness), Daniel Gafford (right MCL sprain), Dante Exum (left fractured hand), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist surgery) and Caleb Martin (left hip strain) and Brandon Williams (left hamstring tightness).
Still, with Hardy in the fold, the Mavs were in a great position to steal a game against a Pacer squad that’s fourth in the Eastern Conference.
“I felt good to get back out there and be back on the floor,” Hardy said. “I just wanted to contribute any way I could. (I was) just trying to push the pace, attack and get my teammates involved.
“I felt like we did a good job of fighting today. We didn’t have the outcome that we wanted, but I feel like we did a good job of putting up a fight. I feel like it came down to turnovers and a couple of missed free throws late in the game. I got to do a better job of taking care of the ball and knocking down my free throws as well.”
Pascal Siakam scored 10 of his 29 points in the first quarter at a time when Nembhard poured in nine of his 22 points which helped the Pacers race out to a 33-21 lead. Indiana went on to take a 68-57 lead at the half before the Mavs – who scored 74 points in the second half – came charging back in the third quarter.
But in the end, too many crucial turnovers and missed free throws ended up biting the Mavs during the game’s critical moments.
“We’re getting everything we can,” Kidd said, of his players. “They’re giving everything they have. They’re exhausted mentally and physically. There’s a lot of fight in that locker room, and they’re going to continue to fight. But when you have eight guys and half of them are on minutes restrictions, it’s hard.”
X: @DwainPrice
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