A preseason matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers was all tied up 93-93 with less than a minute left in the meaningless game. Indiana head coach Frank Vogel prevailed, drawing up a beautiful back-door cut play with 13 seconds remaining in the game to give the Pacers a 95-93 lead.
Mavericks forward Charlie Villanueva then missed a potential game-tying three pointer with 6 seconds. All hope for Dallas was lost. Pacers guard Donald Sloan then hit two costless throws on the other end of the floor to give Dallas a 98-93 lead and sealed the game for Indiana.
Indiana led a furious fourth quarter comeback behind guard Donald Sloan and forward Chris Copeland. They scored 15 and 8 points respectively in the fourth quarter and mightily helped their Pacers outscore Dallas 38-17 in the final quarter.
Dallas, playing their second game in two straight nights, rested all their regular starters. As a result Gal Mekel played 43 of 48 minutes and put together a very impressive performance, scoring 19 points and dishing nine assists. Richard Jefferson also impressed with 19 points in 26 minutes for Dallas.
Pacers' starting power forward David West scored 14 points before exiting the game with an ankle injury. Losing West, who has been a solid player for the team since arriving in Indiana three seasons ago, for an extended period of time would be a huge loss for Indiana. Donald Sloan was the hero for Indiana, scoring all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, while Chris Copeland was the team's leading scorer with 22.
Dallas' next game is on Monday, October 20, versus Memphis at home. Indiana, meanwhile, faces the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, October 21, in Minnesota at the Target Center.