The Indiana Pacers showed a glimpse of what they can be

The Indiana Pacers took down the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night and showed us what they are capable of doing on a nightly basis. Even though Dallas was without superstar Luka Doncic, the Pacers were remarkable all night long and pulled away late for a big win.

Every member of the rotation played his part and did it well, which propelled the Pacers in the second half. Caris LeVert had a bit of an off night but the offense was carried by others. Kristaps Porzingis exploded for 31 points and 18 rebounds but the Pacers did not let that hurt them.

Indiana Pacers show their potential in win over Mavericks

Domantas Sabonis was frustrated with some of the calls, or lack thereof, that he endured throughout the night. Still, he finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds and went to the free-throw line 12 times in total, converting nine. He was active on the offensive glass all night.

Myles Turner started out hot and knocked down a few threes in the first half before going cold in the second half. Defensively, Turner shined once again and was a major factor in the Mavericks only manufacturing 94 points. He posted seven blocks and altered many more, which is what he’s done all season.

The struggles of Caris LeVert were not detrimental thanks to Malcolm Brogdon and Doug McDermott hitting threes at a high clip. The two combined to shoot 10-of-15 from beyond the arc and Brogdon matched Sabonis’ 22 points to lead the Pacers.

The bench came to life behind McDermott and Edmond Sumner who has really come along over the past few weeks and played a huge role for the Pacers. He added 10 points after his 18-point outburst earlier this week against Detroit. Another bright spot off the bench lately has been Goga Bitadze and that was the case again on Friday.

Bitadze has really had to earn his minutes, which are not coming at a high capacity but he is making the most of each opportunity. He was strong on the offensive glass and ended his night with six points, six rebounds (three offensive), and three blocks in 11 minutes.

Aside from Doug McDermott leaving with an injury, the Pacers played a near-flawless game in Dallas. They shot 42.7 percent from downtown, blocked ten shots, and forced 15 turnovers.

If Indiana can play at that level throughout the season, they will be one of the tougher teams to knock off in the East. If not, well, we all know what will happen.