The Indiana Pacers had the kind of road start that usually puts a team in position to steal one in Dallas. They built a 13-point halftime cushion, spent 32 minutes in front, and looked ready to get a little payback after being smoked by the Mavericks in their home opener last month. But the finish belonged to Dallas, which pulled out a 125-122 win and completed the season sweep.
Pascal Siakam set the tone early and made the Pacers look dangerous from the jump. The 4-time All-Star poured in 26 points in the first half alone and knocked down 5-of-6 from beyond the arc over those opening 24 minutes. Indiana rode that surge to the break with control, and for a while it seemed like Dallas had no real answer for him.
That changed after halftime. Siakam managed only three points over the final 24 minutes, finishing with 29 overall after going 1-for-7 in the second half. The Mavericks kept throwing different looks at him, and the adjustment worked.
Dallas had its own firepower that Indiana simply couldn’t match. Cooper Flagg delivered 43 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Kyrie Irving added 35 points of his own. Together, they shot 27-for-43 from the field and kept coming up with the biggest plays when the game tightened late.
The Mavericks did it while playing on the second night of a back-to-back, which only made the result sting more for Indiana. Still, Flagg and Irving were too much for the Pacers to handle.
There were some encouraging numbers in the loss for Indiana. The Pacers, who have struggled from 3-point range this season, hit 15 threes and shot 52% from the field.
They also finished with 35 assists against just 13 turnovers, closer to the version of this offense that usually gets the job done. But the clean ball movement and efficient shooting still weren’t enough to change the result.
Now 3-8, the Pacers head home still searching for their first victory on their own floor this season. They’ll host the Wizards on Wednesday and the Knicks on Friday.
In Other News...
Pacers Injury Crunch Could Force A Rotation Move Soon
Indianas injury pileup has started to reshape the conversation around the roster, and it has pushed outside voices to suggest the Pacers may need to act sooner rather than later. NBA analyst Dan Favale recently floated Ochai Agbaji as a possible addition, pointing to the teams need for another body as it waits on Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac, both of whom are dealing with uncertain return timelines.
Agbaji would not be arriving as a mystery. He has already bounced around this season after being waived twice, and his recent stops with the Raptors and Nets at least give him some familiarity with the grind of filling in on the fly. For Indiana, the question is less about pedigree than timing, because the current stretch could force a rotation move if the injuries linger and the depth chart keeps thinning. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Get A Chance To Answer Dallas After That Ugly Opener
The Pacers get another crack at Dallas after a first meeting that left plenty of bad blood and even more room for improvement. Indiana was handled in the previous matchup, and the game also featured the flagrant foul incident involving Aaron Nesmith and Cooper Flagg, a moment that added edge to a result the Pacers would rather forget. Now the focus shifts to the rematch, with both teams dealing with a mix of injuries and rest decisions that could shape how the night unfolds.
For Indiana, this is less about settling scores than proving the earlier showing was not the standard. The Pacers have had time to sort through what went wrong, and the rematch offers a cleaner chance to measure themselves against a Dallas team that already made a statement once. With availability still in flux on both sides, the game carries the feel of a reset, but it also gives Indiana a chance to show that the opener was an outlier rather than a preview. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Face A Brutal Test As Pressure Starts Mounting
The Pacers are heading into a stretch that already feels like a measuring stick for where this season is going. With the Mavericks and Wizards next on the schedule, Indiana is staring at a pair of games that could either steady a shaky start or deepen the hole it has dug with a 3-7 record.
Dallas brings a difficult challenge, with Kyrie Irving back and scoring well after his injury return, while Cooper Flagg has given the Mavericks a real boost in transition. For Indiana, the urgency is obvious: drop these games, and an already rough opening to the year starts looking a lot harder to recover from. [Read more 🡒]