The Pacers headed to halftime on Saturday night trailing the Mavericks 72-60 in Rick Carlisle's return to Dallas.
Domantas Sabonis went to work early, scoring Indiana's first eight points on Saturday night. But it wasn't enough to combat a scorching start by Luka Doncic.
Dallas' All-NBA guard scored or assisted on eight of Dallas' first nine field goals, racking up 13 points and three assists over the first seven minutes of Saturday's contest. Doncic's third three of the night with 5:10 remaining in the opening quarter pushed the Mavs' lead to 24-12.
The Pacers fought back with seven straight points, but the Mavs built their lead back up to double digits by the end of the frame.