The Dallas Mavericks (7-4) survived a wild one Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers (3-8) 125-122 in one of their most entertaining games of the season. Cooper Flagg was incredible, finishing with 43 points on 16-of-25 shooting, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, while Kyrie Irving added 35 points on seven made 3-pointers. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Dallas trailed by 10 at halftime, but Flagg and Irving powered a second-half comeback and made enough
plays late to escape with the win.
Dallas opened sluggishly and spent most of the first quarter trying to dig out of an early hole. Flagg was easily the Mavericks’ best player, scoring nine points with five rebounds, two assists, and three steals while shooting 4-of-6. Kyrie started 1-for-4, Caleb Martin missed both shots, and Dallas shot only 40 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three. Indiana, meanwhile, shot 55 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three, with Siakam going perfect from the floor for nine points and Aaron Nesmith hitting both of his threes. Flagg’s activity kept Dallas within reach, but Indiana was the sharper team and led 31-26 after one.
The Mavericks found more offense in the second quarter, but Siakam completely took over. Kyrie got going with three threes and reached 15 points, while Flagg continued to create as both a scorer and passer. Walter Clayton Jr. also gave Dallas good minutes, but the Mavericks couldn’t string together enough stops to take control. Siakam finished the half with 26 points on 8-of-9 shooting and hit five of his six threes, repeatedly answering every Dallas run. Indiana shot 60 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three in the half, while P.J. Washington struggled badly at 2-of-10 from the floor. Andrew Nembhard hit a turnaround jumper at the horn to send the Pacers into halftime up 66-56.
Dallas finally flipped the game in the third, and Flagg was the biggest reason why. He scored 14 points in the period, getting to his turnaround jumper, attacking the rim, and making better reads as the Mavericks steadily erased the deficit. Kyrie stayed hot with two more threes, while Washington finally found some rhythm with a tip-in and a three. Dallas also tightened up defensively, forcing turnovers and getting better activity from Clayton and Naji Marshall. Siakam cooled off significantly after torching Dallas in the first half, and Flagg kept pushing late with back-to-back finger rolls to cut the deficit to two. Dallas closed the quarter down just 93-90 after entering it trailing by 10.
The fourth quarter was an absolute blast. Dallas and Indiana traded tough shots, mistakes, and momentum swings to the finish, with Flagg and Kyrie carrying the Mavericks offensively whenever things started to fall apart. It was far from clean, with turnovers, unnecessary fouls, and several possessions that could have swung the game either way, but Dallas kept responding. Every time Indiana landed a punch, Flagg or Kyrie found another huge basket. The final minutes turned into a possession-by-possession fight, and the Mavericks finally made enough plays on both ends to survive 125-122. It was messy, stressful, and probably harder than it needed to be, but it was also one of the most fun wins of the season.
Keep Kyrie hot
Right now, the Mavericks need to do everything they can to keep Kyrie Irving in rhythm. Kyrie was great again Monday, finishing with 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting while hitting seven of his 10 threes, and it felt like a continuation of everything he started against Brooklyn the night before. Since returning from injury, Kyrie has looked noticeably better when he has been able to stack games together. He came back a little rusty, started finding his rhythm, then sat against Sacramento and looked rusty again when he returned. Now he has played on consecutive nights, and suddenly he looks completely comfortable.
Against Indiana, he was the driving force behind Dallas staying alive long enough to make its second-half run. Every time the offense stalled, Kyrie created something, whether it was a pull-up, a three or a tough finish around the rim. He had 25 points by the end of the third quarter and kept making huge shots as Dallas erased a 10-point halftime deficit. The Mavericks obviously have to be smart with him after the injury, but there is also something to be said for letting Kyrie play when he is rolling. Right now, he has his rhythm back, and Dallas looks completely different because of it.
Cooper Flagg is ridiculous
Somehow, Cooper Flagg keeps finding another level.
Flagg finished with 43 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals while shooting 16-of-25 from the field, 3-of-6 from three, and a perfect 8-of-8 at the line. He was Dallas’ best player early when almost nobody else had anything going, then became the centerpiece of the comeback after halftime. He scored 14 points in the third quarter alone, repeatedly getting to his turnaround jumper and the rim, and he continued making huge plays when the game tightened in the fourth.
What continues to stand out is how comfortable he looks with the game on the line. Flagg does not shy away from the moment or wait for someone else to create. He wants the ball, attacks mismatches, and has already developed an incredible ability to create something when possessions break down. His case for Clutch Player of the Year is only getting stronger because this keeps happening. Dallas needed nearly all 43 of his points Monday, and when the Mavericks needed someone to will them across the finish line, Flagg was right there again.
The Mavericks win in the clutch again
This is becoming one of the biggest differences between this Mavericks team and what we watched last season.
Monday was exactly the type of game Dallas would have found a way to lose a year ago. The Mavericks were down double digits, had stretches filled with turnovers, missed free throws, and unnecessary fouls, and gave Indiana plenty of opportunities to take control. Instead of folding, they kept answering. Kyrie and Flagg made difficult shots, the defense made timely stops, and Dallas stayed composed enough to survive a genuinely chaotic finish.
That matters.
Close games are rarely clean, and Monday certainly was not. The Pacers shot 52.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three; Siakam was incredible, and Indiana kept finding ways to punch back. Still, Dallas found a way to win 125-122. This team has the talent to make tough shots late with Flagg and Kyrie, but it also feels like Dusty May has given them more structure and confidence in those moments.
Mistakes and ugly possessions will still happen, but the Mavericks no longer seem to panic when games get tight. They believe they can close, and with Flagg and Kyrie playing like this, there is a pretty good reason for that confidence.
