4 things that mattered most in the Mavericks’ 121-105 win at the Indiana Pacers

The Dallas Mavericks (1-1) picked up their first win of the season on Friday night, surviving a sloppy second half to beat the Indiana Pacers (1-1) 121-105. Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 5-of-10 from three before fouling out late, while also passing Mavericks legend Mark Aguirre on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. P.J. Washington added 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks; Max Christie scored 16, and Cooper Flagg had 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals before leaving with an injury late in the first half.

Dallas came out flying. The Mavericks scored 44 points in the first quarter, moved the ball, dominated the glass and hit 8-of-13 from three. Flagg was at the center of everything, scoring 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting while adding four assists, and Kyrie looked much more comfortable than he did Wednesday in Houston.

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Zaccharie Risacher and the Dallas defense dominated the second quarter. Risacher was everywhere, defending, rebounding, running the floor, and keeping the ball moving offensively while Indiana repeatedly turned it over and struggled to create anything clean. The Pacers made only one basket through roughly the first five minutes of the quarter, and Dallas carried a 77-43 lead into halftime.

Things got much shakier after halftime. The offense stalled in the third, and Kyrie kept the Mavericks afloat with difficult shot-making while Indiana slowly worked its way back into the game. Dallas still led by 22 entering the fourth, but the final period nearly turned into a collapse. Kyrie’s foul trouble opened the door, and when he returned late, he turned the ball over and fouled out almost immediately. Indiana kept coming, but missed both free throws on Kyrie’s sixth foul, and Dallas finally responded. Naji Marshall and Christie hit huge shots, the defense tightened, and the Mavericks did enough to close it out.

Flagg’s injury changes everything

The biggest concern coming out of the win was Flagg’s health. He was injured with about a minute remaining in the first half after taking a hard flagrant foul from Aaron Nesmith and…

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Publish date : 2026-10-24 02:11:00

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