Pacers 103, Mavericks 78: Paul George had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead visiting Indiana to an easy victory over Dallas.

Roy Hibbert added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won six of seven and moved a half-game ahead of New York in the race for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points to pace the Mavericks, who squandered a chance to pull to .500 for the first time since they were 11-11. His fellow starters combined to shoot 9-for-26 as Dallas remained 1 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoff race.

Neither team established much separation until Indiana put together a 20-5 run at the start of the third quarter to take a 61-46 lead. George had eight points and three assists to spark the surge and hit a 3-pointer moments later to push the Pacers' advantage to 72-54.

Nowitzki and Vince Carter combined for seven points in less than a minute early in the fourth as Dallas crawled to within 10. But a quick timeout settled Indiana, which held the Mavs without a point for five minutes down the stretch to turn it into a blowout.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pacers F David West returned from a six-game layoff to record seven points and seven boards. Teammate Danny Granger will have season-ending surgery on his left knee, the team announced Thursday. ... The Mavericks made a pledge several weeks ago to shave their beards once they reached .500, an act which will have to wait. ... Indiana has won four of the last five meetings, including two this season by an average of 22.5 points. It held a 55-34 advantage on the glass in this one.