Pacers begin crucial homestand against Mavericks

The Indiana Pacers are starting an important five-game stretch at home. They will play the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Pacers have a record of 38 wins and 29 losses. They are tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the Bucks currently hold the tiebreaker. The Pacers recently bounced back from a loss to Milwaukee. They won against Minnesota, 132-130, in overtime on Monday. In that game, Bennedict Mathurin scored 22 points while filling in for Tyrese Haliburton, who missed the game due to a back injury. Other starters like Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, and Aaron Nesmith were also out. Indiana had a total of eight players score in double figures, with Obi Toppin leading the way with 34 points. On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks are struggling. They have lost their last three games, including a 130-125 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Mavericks are missing several key players due to injuries, including Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic. Davis has not played in 16 games, and the team's performance has suffered, going 5-11 during that stretch. The Mavericks currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference, just one game ahead of the 11th-place Phoenix Suns. Despite the challenges, Mavericks guard Max Christie remains determined. He performed well in the recent loss, scoring 18 points and hitting 4 of 6 from three-point range.