Rick Carlisle knows the Mavericks very well, having coached them from 2008 to 2021. And if his Pacers brought down Luka Doncic's troop (133-111), the latter previously remained on seven consecutive victories.
Enough to place yourself well at the start of the home stretch of the regular season, while Dallas (33 wins – 24 losses) is currently in 8th place in the West, but can regain three places very quickly, since The gap with Phoenix (34-24), New Orleans (34-24) and Sacramento (33-24) is tiny.
Moreover, for Rick Carlisle, the Texan adjustments to the “trade deadline”, with the arrivals of Daniel Gafford And PJ Washington in the racket, put the Mavericks in a very good position.
Luka Doncic rewrites history
“They have gained in size, in talent, in depth, in toughness and they have positioned themselves very well for the future”explained the Pacers coach at the Mavs official websitebefore his team's victory. “They're on a seven-game winning streak and they're basically blowing everyone away. It's impressive. »
The team's weak point at the start of the campaign, the interior sector of Dallas has in fact become more dense.
“(Dereck) Lively is developing in front of everyone's eyes and PJ Washington is an underrated player. He is very versatile, he can play strong winger, he shoots, he can create play, he can play pivot if necessary (in “small ball”). They have (Maxi) Kleber, who can also play both positions. They really have density. »
And then there is especially Luka Doncic…
“What Luka is doing this year, I don’t even know how to describe it”concludes Rick Carlisle. “He is rewriting history with what he is doing in terms of scoring and assists. And (Kyrie) Irving is playing very well. These guys are part of a very small group of teams that are legitimate title contenders. »
