Playoff-hopeful Pacers top Mavs behind Miles' 28
The Indiana Pacers refuse to go away.
Battling adversity from the start of the season, the Pacers are a few wins - and breaks - away from claiming their fifth consecutive playoff appearance.
Indiana won for only the second time in its last nine games Sunday, coming through with a 104-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
"We just stayed strong," David West, who scored 10 points with five rebounds and five assists, told reporters. "I thought we did a good job of staying the course."
C.J. Miles led the charge, draining five bombs from long range on his way to a game-high 28 points. He shot 9-of-12 from the field to help the Pacers move a half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets for eighth place in the ever-changing Eastern Conference standings.
Indiana shot 50 percent from the field and a blistering 58.8 percent from long range.
The race for the final two playoff spots in the East has shaped up to be an intriguing fight and may very well come down to the last day of the season.
| Rank | Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Heat | 34-39 | +1.5 |
| 8 | Nets | 32-40 | -- |
| 9 | Celtics | 32-41 | 0.5 |
| 10 | Pacers | 32-41 | 0.5 |
| 11 | Hornets | 31-41 | 1 |
Indiana's upcoming schedule features all the teams it needs to beat, starting Tuesday versus the Nets. The Pacers will then close out a wild and busy week against the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.
The Mavericks' Chandler Parsons scored a team-high 27 points with 10 rebounds in the loss.