Mavs recover from slow start to stay unbeaten in Orlando

After a sluggish start that saw Dallas trail by 14 points early, the Mavericks clamped down on defense and rode the double-digit scoring of four players to defeat the Indiana Pacers 94-79 and remain perfect through three games at the Orlando Summer League.

The Mavericks, the only undefeated team of the eight playing in Orlando, meet the Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1) at noon Wednesday on NBA TV. Thursday’s final day of play in Orlando will match teams by record to determine a champion.

Mavericks’ 6-foot-8 forward Jameel Warney, a 2016 graduate of Stony Brook who spent last season with the Texas Legends Development League team, led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. He scored nine of his points during a 27-point second quarter as the Mavericks closed a 26-12 deficit to 43-39 by halftime.

Warney’s layup at the 7:50 mark of the third period gave Dallas a 48-47 lead and the Mavericks would never trail again as they outscored the Pacers 55-36 in the second half.

In addition to Warney’s contributions, the Mavericks got double-figure scoring from former Illinois guard Brandon Paul, who had 16 points along with five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Dwight Buycks, a guard from Marquette, made 6 of 9 shots for 14 points in addition to five rebounds and five assists. Guard Cat Barber from North Carolina State rounded out the Mavs’ top scorers with 10 points.

Indiana was led by Jarnell Stokes with 15 points off the bench. T.J. Leaf, a 6-10 forward from UCLA who was drafted No. 18 overall last month, had seven points for the Pacers.

This story was originally published July 4, 2017 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Mavs recover from slow start to stay unbeaten in Orlando."