Both teams are having a rocky ride lately but the visiting Dallas Mavericks appear to be in a tougher spot with Luka Doncic out with an injury and Kristaps Porzingis listed as day-to-day.

Then again, they did beat the Milwaukee Bucks on the road without Luka.

HOME TEAM: Indiana Pacers (31-18, 18-6 at home)

The Pacers, one of the good surprises this season, have probably hit the wall. They are just 3-3 in their last six games and the last two losses have come from teams with losing records.

Victor Oladipo returned to the hardwood this past week after getting sidelined for a year due to a ruptured tendon. He made a clutch basket in his first game back but has struggled overall. He has only shot 4-for-22 (18.2%) in two games, totalling 16 points in 43 minutes of action.

Newly-minted All-Star Domantas Sabonis will remain as the number one option for Indy. The versatile big man is averaging team-highs 18.2 points and 12.7 rebounds on the season and ranks third in the league in double-doubles, with 37.

TJ Warren (18.1 PPG) and Malcolm Brogdon (career-highs 16.7 PPG, 7.5 APG), are Sabonis’s main scoring partners. Both compiled solid numbers against the Mavericks last season – Warren (22.3 PPG), Brogdon (18.5 PPG, 53.6 FG%).

ROAD TEAM: Dallas Mavericks (30-19, 16-7 on the road)

The Mavs snapped a two-game skid on Sunday without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. They dominated the Atlanta Hawks, 123-100, thanks to Jalen Brunson (season-high 27 pts) and Dorian Finney-Smith (career-high 22 pts) and Maxi Kleber (18 pts) successfully filling the void – all three are role players for the most part, and it’s tough to expect another type of performance soon.

Sweet-shooting guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry are more proven offensive weapons, and will be better calls as the go-to scorers should the team’s two stars continue to miss time. Hardaway has 10 games with 20 or more points this season and puts up 15.5 PPG as a starter, while Curry has five 20-plus point games and scored 13.1 PPG on 51.7%-shooting in the past month.

Doncic is slated to miss a couple of more games, while Porizingis is likely to be a game-time decision, so the latter is not out of the picture for tomorrow. He’s averaging 25.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game this season without Luka.

PREDICTION:

It will be a hard-fought battle, but ultimately, the Pacers should be able to exploit the Mavs shorthanded lineup. Sabonis and Warren are in a good position to deliver damage. Indy wins this one, 108-104.