Indiana Pacers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction

Two teams who suffered heavy defeats recently collide in a cross-conference affair Thursday when the Indiana Pacers (8-5) entertain an unpredictable Dallas Mavericks (6-7) side next.

Kristaps Porzingis continued his encouraging return after knee surgery and led Dallas in scoring (23 pts), but couldn't stop the likes of Kyle Lowry and Chris Boucher enjoying productive shooting nights as they cruised to a 23-point victory after an eventful second-half of action.

Indiana ended their four-game road trip with a humbling 129-96 defeat by the LA Clippers in the early hours on Monday as Luke Kennard, and Marcus Morris both had 20-point outings from the bench.

Which side will bounce back, earning a morale-boosting result in this latest encounter? Read my basketball preview, for the best betting odds ahead of this compelling H2H matchup.

Indiana Pacers vs Dallas Mavericks Preview

Porzingis had 23 on 8-of-14 from the field, but the bulk of his Mavericks teammates largely struggled - including franchise star guard Luka Doncic (15 pts, nine assists, seven rebounds).

While that statline might be a decent night's outing for another player, the 21-year-old had three turnovers and struggled with his shooting (4-of-11) in 35 minutes. Their defeat overnight is the latest twist in a frustrating season so far for the Slovenian and his ambitious teammates.

Trey Burke (17 pts, three assists, two steals) and James Johnson (15 pts, six rebs, two assists) contributed well from the bench, but there wasn't much else inspiration. That needs to change. They, like many other contending teams, haven't exactly been helped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Richardson (COVID-19 protocols) are all listed as sidelined for this matchup, though third-year guard Jalen Brunson returned against Toronto and could prove a key x-factor for the visitors here.

He's averaging 11 points and three assists per game this term. Besides his breakout game against Chicago, last week continues to show the encouraging progression that should earn him increased responsibility and minutes.

All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis had another double-double (19 pts, 14 rebounds) but couldn't stop the Clippers from extending their win streak to four at Indiana's expense. Doug McDermott led the Pacers with 23 points (five 3 PM), who were outscored down the stretch and punished for lax defence.

Post-game, Sabonis said: "They started making shots, I feel like we left guys too open. We were throwing out a lot of different defences, they caught onto the box-and-1, and it was harder for us to catch up."

He'll hope they learn from their mistakes against the Doncic-Porzingis combination, who have shown on multiple occasions their ability to feed off one another or kick it out to an open man.

Indiana Pacers vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Tips

ESPN's Basketball Power Index gives Dallas a slight edge (56.5%) in this matchup, and it's difficult to disagree, despite both struggling for regular consistency to start the campaign. It's almost impossible for players like Tim Hardaway Jr (0-of-12) to play worse than they did overnight away vs Toronto.

Having shot just 25% from deep and 37.8% FG overall during that loss, it'd be surprised if there wasn't an upturn in collective efficiency and production here to atone for a rough result against a struggling Eastern Conference team.

Indiana has lost three of their last five and are again without Myles Turner (hand fracture), who leads the league in blocked shots (4.2 per game).

That's a significant blow and while Sabonis will step up in his absence, it's a big ask against a team with their own length and depth: Porzingis and reserve forward Johnson.