Post-Game Grades: Pacers Destroy Mavericks

Welcome back, David West.

He wasn’t the catalyst to this blowout win over the Mavericks, in Dallas, or anything, but this team now knows what it’s rotation, by and large, will look like through the end of the playoffs. And that is big right now as the starting unit reassembles after a series of injuries.

West Coast road trips late in the season can be a blessing.

Away from homes, the team spends a ton of its time together with only a singular goal. There are not nights home with the family or the friends. It is tough to win on the road, especially on an extended away outside the friendly confines of the city in which you live.

But right now, this trip could be the best thing to happen to the Pacers.

They were going on more than three weeks without beating a good team, and now they are off to a 2-0 start on this four-game trip. The wins have both been impressive. They let Houston crawl back for a while, but they have generally handled both the Rockets and the surging Mavericks.

A loss to the Suns on Friday could throw a bucket of ice water on this whole thing, but if they can manage to win in Phoenix, then the next game in Los Angeles, against the mighty Clippers, will be like playing with house money.

The Granger news today was depressing, but if this team can rally around their lot in life and come away with at least a 3-1 record on this trip, it should do wonders for their confidence as they prep for some really big games down the stretch. (Indiana faces Oklahoma City, New York, Brooklyn and Boston all before the playoffs begin.)

Tonight was a demolition of the Mavericks.

There don’t stand to be any games like this upcoming against those good teams, but if they can continue to beat up the rest of the bad teams they face and go .500 against the top teams, this could make for a very nice end to what stands to be another excellent regular season in Indiana

Here is how each guy played individually tonight. Agree? Disagree? Express your thoughts below in the comments or yell at me (@8pts9secs) or Tim (@TimDonahue8p9s) on Twitter.

Not the best of evenings and Dirk made some tough shots on him in the first half.Paul George, SF 38 MIN | 10-17 FG | 2-3 FT | 8 REB | 6 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 24 PTS | +31

Paul George really likes playing in Dallas. Had his best game (to that point) as a pro last season in the Big D and have a splendid outing this evening.Roy Hibbert, C 24 MIN | 5-10 FG | 6-8 FT | 11 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 16 PTS | +27

Can get used to 16/10 games from the big fella. Making hooks and getting to the line.George Hill, PG 30 MIN | 3-5 FG | 3-3 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | +34

Looks to be getting over his injury.Lance Stephenson, SG 27 MIN | 3-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | +12

Had some good moments, had some not-good moments.

Still getting it done even back with the reserves.Jeff Pendergraph, PF 3 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | +2

Garbage time.Gerald Green, SF 10 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -6

Not great.Ian Mahinmi, C 20 MIN | 4-8 FG | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | -6

Numbers looked good but some shaky play. Needs to get back on track. Hopefully this game was the stepping stone to this. He has to like this line a lot.D.J. Augustin, PG 18 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -7

Further figured out what his role is.Orlando Johnson, SG 21 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 12 PTS | +13

When he makes shots, this team seems to do much better.