{"id":879880,"date":"2026-11-09T09:09:58","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T09:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/879880\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T09:09:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T09:09:58","slug":"game-preview-pacers-vs-nuggets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/879880\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Preview: Pacers vs Nuggets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Monday, Nov. 9 at 8:00 PM ET at American Airlines Center<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"visual representation of content\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1140\" height=\"250\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"object-cover\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:1140\/250;max-height:250px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/PAC27_GamePreview_261109.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Game Preview<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">The Pacers (3-7) will conclude their road trip in Dallas on Monday as they rematch with Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks (5-4). Indiana is motivated to get back into the win column after losing to the Denver Nuggets in Mexico City despite a late surge of scoring. The Blue and Gold fell to the Mavericks in Indiana\u2019s home opener in October, and its last chance to topple Dallas in the regular season is on Monday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Pascal Siakam led the Pacers in Mexico City as he recorded 23 points and surpassed the 13,000 points for his career. Ivica Zubac was limited by foul trouble, but still recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Indiana\u2019s initial meeting with the Mavericks was underwhelming \u2013 the Pacers managed just 43 points in the first half while the Mavericks scored 44 in just the first quarter. The Blue and Gold will look to correct some of their mistakes in their second and final meeting with Dallas this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Dallas will be fatigued &#8212; the Mavericks will play the Pacers on the second night of back-to-back contests. They&#8217;ll host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday ahead of Monday&#8217;s matchup. <\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Cooper Flagg is still solidly leading the Mavericks\u2019 attack. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 24 points, nearly seven rebounds, and north of six assists per game. His efficiency has taken a hit \u2013 Flagg is shooting 47 percent from the field, but is knocking down just 22 percent of his looks from 3-point range.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Kyrie Irving is Dallas\u2019 only other player averaging 20 or more points per game at 21.4. Irving\u2019s efficiency is similar to Flagg\u2019s \u2013 he\u2019s shooting about 46 percent from the field \u2013 but his 3-point shot is much more reliable. Irving is knocking down the deep ball at a 36 percent clip.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">The Pacers continue to navigate challenges with their health, though T.J. McConnell made his season debut in Mexico City after battling a hamstring injury to start the season. As more pieces of Indiana\u2019s rotation return to play, the Pacers look to start building some momentum following a challenging start to the season.<\/p>\n<p>Probable Starters<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Pacers: G &#8211; Braden Smith, G &#8211; Andrew Nembhard, F &#8211; Aaron Nesmith, F &#8211; Pascal Siakam, C &#8211; Ivica Zubac<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Mavericks: G &#8211; Kyrie Irving, G &#8211; Max Christie, F &#8211; Cooper Flagg, F &#8211; P.J. Washington, C &#8211; Daniel Gafford<\/p>\n<p>Injury Report<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Pacers: T.J. McConnell &#8211; questionable (right hamstring strain), Johnny Furphy &#8211; out (right ACL repair\/surgery), Tyrese Haliburton &#8211; out (left hamstring strain), Ben Sheppard &#8211; out (left meniscus surgery)<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Mavericks: Sergio de Larrea &#8211; out (knee), Tarik Biberovic &#8211; out (heel), Dereck Lively II &#8211; out (foot)<\/p>\n<p>Last Meeting<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/pacers\/news\/rewind-pacers-mavericks-261023\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">October 23, 2026: <\/a>The Pacers fell to the Mavericks in their home opener, 121-105. Indiana had a slow first half, and scored just 43 points. Dallas scored 44 points in the opening quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Cooper Flagg had a game-high plus\/minus at +34 despite playing just 17 minutes. He did not return after halftime due to a shoulder injury. Flagg notched 14 points, five rebounds, and six assists in his limited time on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points, while Tyrese Haliburton recorded 18 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Indiana pushed in the second half, and scored 62 points while cutting the lead all the way down to 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Pacers trailed by as many as 37, however, and couldn\u2019t overcome the deficit.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Kyrie Irving had 24 points for the Mavericks, and led the offense after Flagg\u2019s departure. Dallas shot 50 percent from the floor, and 41 percent from long range. Indiana shot just 44 percent from the floor, including 22 percent from 3-point range. The Pacers also recorded 21 turnovers, and allowed 31 points off those miscues.<\/p>\n<p>Noteworthy<\/p>\n<p>The Pacers are 40-50 against the Mavericks all-time.\u00a0Monday\u2019s matchup with the Mavericks will conclude the season series. Dallas leads the series, 1-0.Rick Carlisle coached the Dallas Mavericks for 13 seasons (2008-2021). He led the 2011 Mavericks team that won the NBA title.T.J. McConnell made his season debut in Mexico City on Saturday.Pascal Siakam scored his 13,000th career point against the Nuggets, which was also his 700th career game. <\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">TV: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/pacers\/where-to-watch\/dazn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DAZN<\/a> \u2014 Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter\/host)<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">Radio: 93.5\/107.5 The Fan \u2014 Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)<\/p>\n<p>Tickets<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph\" class=\"GutenbergParagraph_gutenbergParagraph__T0iap body--base md:body--sm mt-5 utility-font\">After a three-game road trip, Indiana will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 PM ET. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketmaster.com\/event\/0500650CC4F683CC?brand=pacers&amp;camefrom=NBAPACERS_SITE_PREVIEW_261109\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Find Tickets &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Monday, Nov. 9 at 8:00 PM ET at American Airlines Center Game Preview The Pacers (3-7) will conclude&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":879881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3774],"tags":[1784,7,187,113,126,3866,762,17773,6,253,114,102345,102687,279],"class_list":["post-879880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-indiana-pacers","tag-andrew-nembhard","tag-basketball","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-indiana","tag-indiana-pacers","tag-indianapacers","tag-jamal-murray","tag-mexico-city","tag-nba","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-pacers","tag-pacers-game-preview","tag-pacers-vs-nuggets","tag-pascal-siakam"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117585708852203617","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=879880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/879881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=879880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=879880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=879880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}