INDIANAPOLIS – Long before the fourth quarter, when the Mavericks spent more time shouting than shooting, they had put themselves in prime position to lose.

For the third consecutive game, they fell behind by a huge margin. This time, they couldn't make it up.

An entertaining and emotional game that featured Avery Johnson's first ejection of the season ended with a failed comeback that let the shorthanded Indiana Pacers get away with a 111-107 victory Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Mavs' five-game winning streak went up in smoke because they couldn't fight through some fourth-quarter adversity, which probably could have been avoided if they'd been more attentive at the start. The Mavericks trailed by 10 in the first quarter and 16 in the second.

This after falling behind by 17 in Houston and 24 against Toronto, although they came back to win both of those.

"We definitely need to fix that and fix it quick," said Devin Harris. "It's hard to battle back every single night, especially on the road."

Harris tried his best to help the Mavericks steal a win. He had 24 points and was at the center of one of the game's crucial plays.

Jason Terry tapped the ball away from Troy Murphy, and Harris found himself on a one-on-one fast break. He was fouled by Mike Dunleavy, but when referee Bennett Salvatore – yes, the same Salvatore who drew the Mavericks ire in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in 2006 – ruled it was a non-shooting foul.

Avery Johnson then unloaded on Salvatore, charging from the sideline and getting two quick technical fouls and an automatic ejection with 8:34 left.

"It was a difference in opinion," Johnson said. "When you have a difference of opinion in that situation, you're never right. It was a clear path. He was going to the basket clearly to shoot. It was something. Obviously, he thought I was wrong. That was that."

Johnson's actions lit the Mavericks' fuse, but they never put it all together against the Pacers.

The Mavs fell behind, 95-89, on Johnson's technicals, then battled back to tie it at 98.

Dirk Nowitzki took what he termed "a bad three" on the next possession, and Danny Granger hit two free throws to put the Pacers ahead for good. Jamaal Tinsley, who sliced and diced on the Mavericks all night, hit a turnaround in the lane on his way to 24 points. Granger had 25 to lead the Pacers.

Then the Mavericks, who were 6-of-22 from the field (27.3 percent) in the fourth quarter, missed three of their last six free throws to stymie their last-gasp rally. They had hit 31 of their first 32 free throw attempts.

They still had one chance to tie the score, trailing 110-107 with 7.4 seconds to play. But Josh Howards' inbounds pass was tipped by Shawne Williams for a turnover.

When it was done, the Mavericks knew exactly who was accountable.

"We don't expect to get the better end of the calls all the time," Harris said. "Somebody has to end up on the short end of the stick. It just happened to be us tonight. We can't blame the refs. We have to blame ourselves for putting ourselves in that position."

Nowitzki couldn't have agreed more. The Mavericks are growing tired of seeing double-figure deficits staring at them every night.

"We got to do a better job, especially defensively," Nowitzki said. "They get whatever they want, and the next thing you know, their confidence goes up.

"If you don't buckle down and shut stuff down early, then you're in trouble all night. So we got to find a way to get a better start."

Johnson was more direct.

"We weren't very good in the first half," he said. "We're not playing much of a 48-minute game."

This time, it burned them.

Even so, the whistle on Harris that didn't result in two free throws bothered the Mavs. Harris ended up trying to get a hold of Johnson and keep him from rushing at Salvatore. But the feisty coach was too slippery. Clearly, he had his players' backs.

"Rightfully so," Harris said. "It was a tough call. I don't know how you don't give me two free throws. But it kind of sparked us for a while. But in the end, we didn't have enough."