Dallas just can’t seem to stop putting themselves into holes early in games so far this season. They crawled out of an early 13-point deficit, then again from a nine-point hole in both the second and third quarters.

The offense looked alright after a get-right game against Orlando, but after winning their first back-to-back earlier this season, it looked like Dallas just couldn’t get across the finish line. Indiana scored at will in a 134-127 win against Dallas, and here are the stats we noticed.

22: Minutes from the Dallas centers

With Dereck Lively being a late scratch due to a shoulder sprain during warmups, the Mavericks went into this game with Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell as their bigs. Between them, they played 20 minutes; 15 from Gafford and seven from Powell.

Without Lively’s range-y mobility and ability to guard all the way to the arc, the Pacer’s Myles Turner caught fire from deep. He scored 30 for the game and went 5-of-8 from three. Dallas countered by going small, counting on PJ Washington to stem the damage from Turner while maximizing their own three-point potency. To that extent, it worked, as Dallas climbed back into the game shooting 42% on 36 three-point shots, but the defense suffered as a result.

11-of-11: Pacers’ 4th quarter shots at the rim

Despite having a hot shooting night of their own, Dallas’ small ball lineup had brought Dallas back into the game. In the fourth, Indiana responded by punishing Dallas down low.

Despite shooting 42% on 20 threes through three quarters, the Pacers shifted their focus to attacking the rim and Dallas’ smaller lineup. Indiana made one of the three triples they took in the final frame, but a perfect 11-of-11 at the rim powered a relentless 38-point fourth. Dallas just couldn’t get enough stops to get over the hump.

20: Points from Naji Marshall

If there was a bright spot to take away from this game, it was Naji Marshall’s offense showing up to the party. Early on when Dallas was still getting its bearings, it was Marshall’s 11-point first quarter that prevented what became a 13-point Pacer lead from getting any bigger.

He hit both his three-pointers and was 8-of-9 on the night. Along with Spencer Dinwiddie’s 14 bench points, the duo proved that Dallas has scoring depth that can buoy them in shootouts like tonight.

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