Pacers race past Mavericks 112-105

Why the Mavs lost: The losing ways for the Dallas Mavericks continued on Saturday afternoon as they suffered a 112-105 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Center.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Mavs and the most games they’ve lost in a row since they lost six consecutive games from Dec. 20-30, 2012. And this loss puts the Mavs just two games in the loss column ahead of the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

The struggling Mavs were within three points of Indiana late in the game. But George Hill drained a 3-pointer, ex-Mavs guard Monta Ellis completed a 3-point play, and a dunk by Solomon Hill pushed the Pacer lead to 108-99 with 1:51 remaining in the game.

Key players: Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points for the Mavericks. Paul George led the Pacers with 20 points, ex-Mavs guard Monta Ellis tallied 17 points, Myles Turner scored 15, George Hill notched 15 points, Jordan Hill poured in 11 points, and Rodney Stuckey and Ian Mahinmi scored 10 points apiece.

Key stat: This is the 14th straight opponent to score at least 100 points in a game against the Mavs. That hasn’t happened in 22 years.

Records: Pacers 35-30, Mavs 33-33

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Pacers race past Mavericks 112-105."