The Dallas Mavericks left Indianapolis with their first win of the season, but it came with a scare attached. After building a first-half cushion as big as 37 points, Dallas survived a furious Indiana push and beat the Pacers 121-105 on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, even after Cooper Flagg went down with a left shoulder injury late in the second quarter.
Flagg was hurt when Aaron Nesmith fouled him on a fast-break layup and he came down hard on his left shoulder. He was checked on the bench, then ruled out for the rest of the night after 17 minutes.
The foul was upgraded to a flagrant-one penalty, and the play sparked a scuffle involving Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington that finished with double technical fouls.
Before the injury, Flagg was cooking. He opened the game 4-for-4 from the field and scored 12 points in the high-scoring first period. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Dallas did its damage right away. The Mavericks shot 70 percent in the first quarter, poured in 44 points and quickly took control by outscoring Indiana 44-27. That kind of explosion has been a rarity for this team so far: the Mavericks have scored 40 or more points in a quarter 15 times in the 2025-26 season, and only twice have they reached at least 44.
The win was a sharp rebound from Dallas’ season-opening loss in Houston, where a slow second quarter helped undo the club. Against Indiana, the Mavericks flipped the script and kept enough pressure on despite the late collapse. Dallas shot 73 percent from the field in the second half, described as a high in one high since 2021.
Kyrie Irving led the way with 24 points and also climbed the all-time scoring list twice during the game. He passed Hall of Famer Dolph Shayes to move into No. 75, then went past Mavs legend Mark Aguirre to reach No. 74 on a free throw late in the second quarter.
Irving later fouled out for the first time in his career and after the game talked about rallying around Flagg. “We're a family out there,” Irving said.
The night also gave Dusty May his first win as an NBA head coach. May, who grew up within an hour and a half of Indianapolis, watched the Pacers’ comeback bid fall short as both teams emptied their benches in the final minutes.
Dallas is now 1-1 and will host the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in its regular-season home opener at American Airlines Center on Saturday.
In Other News...
Cooper Flagg's Early Exit Leaves Mavericks Fans With One Big Fear
Cooper Flaggs night ended early after a hard foul from Aaron Nesmith sent the Mavericks rookie to the floor and briefly turned the game into something more chippy. The collision led to a confrontation, with technical fouls assessed to Nesmith and Naji Marshall before Dallas later ruled Flagg out for the rest of the game because of left shoulder soreness.
For a Mavericks team already trying to manage every early-season concern around its young core, any injury scare involving Flagg is going to draw immediate attention. The club did not offer a fuller diagnosis, leaving plenty of unease about how serious the shoulder issue might be and what it could mean if he is forced to miss more time. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Flagg Injury Scare Has Mavericks Fans Holding Their Breath
Cooper Flagg gave the Mavericks an uneasy moment against the Indiana Pacers when he went down after a hard foul that was ruled a Flagrant 1, landing awkwardly on his left shoulder in the process. Dallas quickly labeled the injury as left shoulder soreness, which at least pointed away from immediate worst-case concern, but it still left the rookie's status in limbo for the rest of the night.
Flagg did not return after halftime, and the team was still waiting to offer a fuller picture once the game was over. For a Mavericks group already keeping a close eye on its young cornerstone, the early wording offered some encouragement, but not nearly enough to quiet the concern until more information comes in. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Turned Haliburtons Homecoming Into A Statement Win
Tyrese Haliburtons return to the home floor gave Indiana a jolt in the opener, but the Pacers never found a way to turn the moment into a win. Dallas controlled the night from the start and left with a 121-105 victory, while Haliburton did what he could with 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds in front of the crowd that had been waiting to see him again.
For the Pacers, the bigger problem was how quickly the game slipped away. Their offense never settled in, and the combination of turnovers and missed perimeter looks put them behind the pace early, making it tough to build any kind of response against a Mavericks team that was ready to make a first-impression statement on the road. [Read more 🡒]