Mavericks vs Pacers Prediction 10/23/2026 Today’s NBA Picks

The Indiana Pacers play host to the Dallas Mavericks at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night.

Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview 

The Dallas Mavericks will be hoping for a better effort after getting manhandled by the Rockets in a disappointing 128-110 road defeat on Wednesday. Cooper Flagg led the team with 32 points with five rebounds and three steals on 10 of 17 shooting, Marcus Sasser added 17 points, Naji Marshall scored 16 points while Kyrie Irving finished with 15 points in just 24 minutes of action. As a team, the Mavericks shot 52 percent from the field and 11 of 37 from the 3-point line, but they got off to a poor start and were always in deep trouble after getting outscored by 38-12 in the second quarter. The Mavericks actually trailed in this one by as many as 37 points at one point, so the final margin would’ve been much worse if not for some late scoring in garbage time.

Indiana Pacers Betting Preview 

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers will be gunning for a second straight win to start the season after outlasting the pesky Pelicans in a 123-120 road win on Wednesday. Pascal Siakam led the team with 30 points on 13 of 23 shooting, Tyrese Haliburton added 23 points with 12 assists on eight of 15 shooting, Obi Toppin scored 20 points off the bench while Andrew Nembhard tallied 18 points with nine assists. As a team, the Pacers shot 52 percent from the field and nine of 30 from the 3-point line as they got off to a sloppy start and got outscored by 35-18 in the second quarter to trail for most of the contest. However, the Pacers did enough to stay within striking distance until the fourth quarter where they exploded for 37 points to escape with the narrow road win.

Dallas v Indiana Free Prediction

The Mavericks are still playing without Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama, Caleb Martin and Jett Howard, while the Pacers have ruled out TJ McConnell with Ben Sheppard and Aaron Nesmith both listed as questionable. The Mavericks will be eager to bounce back after such a poor showing on opening night but they are still missing a few players and they looked terrible on defense. In contrast, the Pacers had to work hard, but they are coming into this one fresh off a nice win and they will take plenty of confidence from the fact that they had to work hard for it. The Pacers have expectedly opened as favorites at home and I think that’s justified given how poor the Mavericks looked. Give me the Pacers to get the win and cover at home in this spot.

Peter Tran's Pick: Indiana -6.5