After watching the NBA playoffs from home last season, the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers each look primed to return to postseason play as they prepare to face off in Indianapolis Sunday.
Owners of the longest active winning streak in the Western Conference, Dallas looks to make it eight victories in a row while holding on to the sixth seed in the conference standings.
The Mavericks extended the streak Thursday, pulling away from the Phoenix Suns for a 123-113 win.
Luka Doncic’s 41 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds set the tone for Dallas in its first game following the All-Star Break.
“I think we have an amazing team,” Doncic said. “Seven in a row hasn’t happened in a while, I’m really happy with the guys we have.”
One of the new guys for the Doncic-led Mavericks is recent trade acquisition P.J. Washington, who came over from Charlotte at the trade deadline.
Washington, who hadn’t experienced much winning with the Hornets, is grateful for the opportunity to potentially play in the NBA playoffs for the first time in his career. When asked if Thursday’s win felt like a playoff atmosphere, Washington admittedly wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know, I’ve never been to the playoffs,” Washington laughed. “I was just telling somebody in the locker room, I think this is the longest win streak I’ve had in my career, so I’m just happy to be here.”
Washington, who tallied 12 points and six rebounds Thursday, is averaging 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season.
The Pacers enter play Sunday winners of two straight, most recently a 129-115 home win over the Detroit Pistons.
Following his second All-Star Game appearance, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton picked up where he left off, going for 25 points and 13 assists against Detroit. The 13 helpers added to his NBA-leading 11.7 assists per game.
Despite another impressive individual performance, most of Haliburton’s praise after the game went to veteran point guard T.J. McConnell.
In 17 minutes off the bench, McConnell tallied 16 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win.
“(T.J) comes in and competes,” Haliburton said. “I think the league would agree that there are not many guys who play harder than T.J. McConnell. I think that’s what separates him.”
The undrafted 31-year old point guard is averaging 8.4 points per game and 5.5 assists per contest.
Similar to Dallas, the Pacers are a team trying to avoid the play-In tournament, which the 7-10 seeds qualify for. Currently, Indiana holds a half-game lead over the Heat for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
If the Pacers are able to reach the playoffs, it will be their first time playing postseason basketball since the 2020 bubble. Indiana hasn’t won a playoff series since 2014, and it holds the longest active playoff series losing streak in the NBA at six in a row.
After missing the cut last year, Dallas vies for a return to the playoffs for the first time since its Western Conference finals appearance in 2022.
–Field Level Media