Monday saw the Indiana Pacers improve to 3-4. This was their first win against a Western Conference opponent. With this recent victory, Indiana has now defeated both teams that played in the NBA Finals last season.
On a night where the offense was clicking on all cylinders, the Pacers won at the American Airlines Center, 134-127. In Rick Carlisle's 946th career win as a head coach, seven of his players scored in double figures.
Let's take a look at the peak performances and a couple of stellar spots in the Pacers' seventh contest of the season.
First star performer: Tyrese Haliburton
In 36 minutes, the starting point guard for the Pacers delivered his fourth double-double in a row. With his 25 points and 12 assists, the Pacers were able to secure the win over last season's Western Conference finalist.
Haliburton has taken care of the ball better as of late, too. During Indiana's first three games, the 24-year-old had seven turnovers. In the Pacers' last five games, he has had six turnovers.
Despite only connecting on two of his eight attempts behind the arc, Haliburton did not miss anywhere else from the floor. This is, however, the second game where he has struggled from the free throw line.
Haliburton's shooting touch was contagious. Six other players finished with a field goal percentage of 50% or better. Monday night's game against Dallas was his first all season where Haliburton made more than half of his shots.
His rival this evening, Mavericks starting point guard Luka Doncic, did outduel him. The six-year veteran ended the game with 34 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds. In all three categories, Doncic did better than Haliburton.
Fortunately for the Pacers, that did not matter as Haliburton and company left Dallas with the win and are one more from getting back to .500 on the season.
Second star performer: Myles Turner
The other double-double from a Pacers player came from the veteran big man and potential future free agent, Myles Turner. The starting center for Indiana turned in a big showing with a team-high 30 points on 10-17 shooting.
Turner went five of eight from behind the arc, as well. The former Texas Longhorn went a perfect five for five from the charity stripe, too.
On the defensive end, Turner filled the stat sheet by recording a block and a steal on Monday night. This now gives him 10 blocks on the season. His 1.8 blocks per game average currently ranks eighth-best in the NBA.
Just like Haliburton, Turner also finished the game with a +/- of 9. He was on the floor for 33 minutes, which is slightly more than his season average of 30.4 a contest.
This was also Turner's first double-double of the season. He was one board shy of accomplishing the feat in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons.
The two less-than-stellar standouts: Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard
Both of the Pacers' second-year players, Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, were the two players who had the smallest impact on Monday night's game in Dallas. Both youngsters only scored three points each. The only field goal either player for the Pacers made was an attempt from three-point land.
Walker played for 14 minutes, and Sheppard was in the game for 17 minutes. They combined for three of the Pacers' nine turnovers.
Last year's eighth overall pick missed both of his free throw attempts against the Mavericks. He had gone four for four prior to Monday night.
Sheppard had as many turnovers as he did assists--two. This was also his first game of the season coughing up the ball more than once.
The third big performer for the Pacers: Pascal Siakam
The tertiary contributor that made a huge difference in Indiana's third win of the season was last year's midseason acquisition. As with Haliburton and Turner, Siakam finished the game scoring more than 20 points in the contest. He finished Monday night's game with 23 points while making 10 of his 16 field goal attempts.
His +/- of 16 was a team-high against Dallas. Siakam tallied six rebounds and four assists, too. This was the third game in his last four where he has scored at least 20 points or more.
The Pacers' starting power forward added to the scoreboard by making both of his free throw attempts and adding a three-pointer, as well.
Siakam was more disciplined on defense in this contest. After fouling out against the New Orleans Pelicans, he only committed one foul on Monday night.
After losing three in a row, Indiana has won two of their last three games. The Pacers are off on Tuesday night as they will host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.