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Have you ever had one of those days where you turn every green light, find an extra $ 10 in your jeans pocket, and get a visit from the boss where he tells you to take the afternoon?
Yes, me neither.
But Kristaps Porzingis had one of those magical nights on Wednesday where pretty much everything went well.
And, by extension, the Mavericks have had a lot of things going well.
Porzingis scored 27 points to go with 13 rebounds as the Mavericks ended their three-game losing streak with a 124-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Playing only his fifth game since returning from rehab after right knee surgery in October, Porzingis made his first 10 shots from inside the 3-point arc, most at close range as he and Luka Dončić worked out. lob passes and basic cuts. Perfectly.
Porzingis was starting center for the first time after having worked as a forward alongside Willie Cauley-Stein the previous four games.
The difference was clear. The Mavericks had a season-best 68 points in the paint. And while their long-range shooting lagged early, it came to life in the fourth quarter when the Mavericks took charge of what had been a tight ball game.
“When I play five (center) it’s so much easier for me,” Porzingis said. “When I roll (towards the basket), there is more space. And Luka did a great job of getting everyone involved.
In the first quarter, four of my five baskets were pass overlays from my teammates. So I didn’t really have to do much, put on a good screen, roll over to the basket, and finish. Tonight was easy, a lot of beautiful looks.
And yet the Mavericks didn’t open the game until the fourth quarter – when Porzingis and Cauley-Stein were on the ground together. Coach Rick Carlisle made the decision to go with a smaller roster to start the game when news broke that Myles Turner of Indiana, the NBA’s blockades leader, would be injured in his hand.
“It had a huge impact on our offense for sure,” Carlisle said of the smaller formation. “With all the different defensive looks that we were expecting and the fact that Turner wasn’t playing, we were going to be smaller. If Turner had played we probably would have stayed big, but we probably would have gotten small pretty quickly.
“The spacing of the five exits definitely helps. But I think KP and Willie have proven throughout the game that you can still score points and stop playing with two big guys. It was great to see and really make the difference in the game when we were able to get a series of saves with Willie in the game.
The Pacers scored just 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks turned a one-point lead into a 118-104 advantage with less than five minutes to go.
In support of Porzingis, Trey Burke had 22 points off the bench.
Oh, and Dončić? He only posted another triple-double, his fifth of the season and 30e of his still young career. With the Indiana defense throwing several defenders in its own way, Dončić had just 13 points, but he also had 12 assists and 12 rebounds.
“Obviously there was not much I could do because every time I was on the court I had two or three players on me each time,” said Dončić. “But that’s why the painting was so open. I think they forget that we have five players on the pitch. This is why we had a highlight of the season in painting.
Although the Mavericks led most of the time, the game got nervous in the third quarter and the Mavericks were only a point to the fourth.
Then Burke came to life. He hit two or three runs after the Mavericks went just 4 of 21 in three quarters. They made four of sixes in the fourth quarter, which included Tim Hardaway Jr. hitting four of five total shots and his two three runs. This after shooting 0 for 12 in the loss to Toronto on Monday.
“It was a great win for us,” said Carlisle. “I don’t think we lost more than two in a row last year. And all of a sudden this season we went from fifth in the West to 10e place. So we had to get back on track. It was going to be all about the fight.
“And Porzingis was great. I think it’s great when we can have situations where we can get the spacing so that he can mix the rolls and pops.
All of this led to the inundation of dots in the painting.
“We always want to put the ball in the paint,” Carlisle said. “Each team in this league scores more points per possession when they receive the ball first. It’s just a fact of life.
Twitter: @ESefko
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