Pacers open home stretch with visit from Mavericks

The Indiana Pacers begin a pivotal five-game homestand on Wednesday when the slumping Dallas Mavericks come to Indianapolis.The Pacers (38-29) head into the closing 15-game stretch of the regular season vying for home-court advantage in an opening-round playoff series.Indiana is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks own the tiebreaker, having won the regular-season series after Saturday’s 126-119 decision in Milwaukee.The surprising Detroit Pistons loom in sixth, matching Indiana and Milwaukee in the win column entering Tuesday’s games, with the Bucks set to face the Golden State Warriors.The Pacers not only play their next five games at home, they have eight of their next 10 on their home court. Indiana goes into the critical run on a high note, rebounding from Saturday’s setback at Milwaukee with a 132-130 overtime win at Minnesota on Monday.Monday’s win was an opportunity for Indiana to demonstrate its depth, with Bennedict Mathurin scoring 22 points while starting in place of Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton sat out with a back injury, alongside fellow starters Pascal Siakam (personal), Myles Turner (hip) and Aaron Nesmith (ankle). Haliburton and Siakam are questionable for Tuesday’s game while Turner and Nesmith aren’t listed on the report..Eight Indiana players scored in double-figures to fill the void, including Obi Toppin with a season-high 34 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his second double-double with at least 30 points since last month.”We’ve got great guys on this team who know their jobs,” Toppin said. “Everybody on this team is a very good NBA player. … They know what they’ve got to do when they come into the game, and they’re thirsty. Everybody don’t play every single game.”Depth is a concern for a fading Mavericks (33-36), who are on a three-game losing skid following a 130-125 home loss on Sunday to the Philadelphia 76ers.