• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Mavs top Indiana to continue win streak

Mar 5, 2011 - 5:03 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki poured in 29 points and missed just twice from the floor, leading Dallas to its eighth straight victory, 116-108, over Indiana.

Nowitzki went 10-of-12 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line as the Mavericks posted their ninth straight home win. Jason Terry tallied 21 points off the bench and Jason Kidd totaled 15 points for Dallas, winners in 18 of its last 19 contests.

Despite playing without starting center Tyson Chandler (sprained right ankle), the Mavericks won at home over the Pacers for the 11th time in the last 12 such meetings.

Danny Granger led six Indiana players in double figures with 22 points, but the Pacers lost for the fourth time in five games.

Darren Collison's three-ball capped eight straight points for the Pacers, getting them within 101-98 with 3:24 remaining.

Terry, though, proved too tough to cover for Indiana. He drained a 16-foot jumper, and then after a Collison turnover, the veteran guard canned a shot from a tough angle along the right baseline for a 105-98 Dallas edge with 2:29 to play.

"He's been our closer in the fourth quarter," Nowitzki said. "We're trying to get him going some a little earlier but he makes big shots for us and makes things happen. It was fun to watch and I'm glad we closed out the fourth quarter and got the win."

Indiana didn't threaten down the stretch.

"We didn't defend well enough in the first half," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "They got off on us. They are an extremely explosive offensive team and we didn't do a good enough job in the first half. Our guys fought like they always do and made a game of it in the second half, but it wasn't enough."

The Pacers made 13-of-19 shots in the opening quarter, but still trailed 35-33 after 12 minutes. That's because Dallas was an efficient 15-of-22, and the Mavs pulled away in the second, gaining a 54-44 lead at the midway point. It was 68-57 at the break and Dallas led by as many as 14 in the third. The Mavs went to the fourth with a 90-81 edge.

Game Notes

The Pacers have lost seven in a row in Dallas...Collison had 17 points, while Josh McRoberts had 15 for Indiana. Tyler Hansbrough (13), Roy Hibbert (11) and Brandon Rush (10) were also in double figures...Indiana committed 18 turnovers, leading to 25 Dallas points.