INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers-Mavericks matchup got heated fast, and the tone only got nastier when Cooper Flagg took a hard fall late in the second quarter.
With a minute left before halftime, Indiana was already buried, trailing Dallas 73-40. Pascal Siakam fired an errant pass to Aaron Nesmith, and Flagg jumped the lane to steal it. He raced the other way for what looked like an easy fastbreak dunk, but Nesmith closed the gap and sent him crashing to the floor with a hard foul.
Flagg’s shoulder slammed into the hardwood, and Dallas immediately took issue with the play.
Naji Marshall came flying down the floor and pushed Siakam in the back on his way to Nesmith, making his feelings known about the foul. Nesmith answered back, the two exchanged words, and security along with both coaching staffs had to step in and separate them.
Officials reviewed the sequence at the replay monitor and upgraded Nesmith’s foul to a flagrant one. Both Nesmith and Marshall were hit with technical fouls for the shove and the aftermath.
After the game, Dusty May said Flagg had "left shoulder soreness and that he’ll be evaluated in the next couple of days."
The bad blood had been building well before that play. Pacers fans gave Tyrese Haliburton a warm welcome back, but Dallas quickly turned the night into an offensive showcase. Indiana was down 17 after the first quarter and staring at a 34-point deficit by halftime.
The Pacers’ rough first half seemed to spill into everything else. Siakam picked up a technical foul for pushing P.J. Washington in the back on a free throw, and early in the game Kyrie Irving and Haliburton exchanged words after an initial foul on Haliburton was changed to Irving.
The tension carried into the third quarter, too. Late in the period, Marcus Sasser fouled Andrew Nembhard as he drove to the basket, and after the whistle Nembhard and Jackson had words for Sasser. He gave it right back, though no review was needed on that exchange.
In Other News...
Pacers Home Opener Turned Ugly After Aaron Nesmith Set Off Chaos
Tyrese Haliburtons return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for his first home game back from an Achilles injury should have been the emotional centerpiece of the night. Instead, the Pacers opener against Dallas took a sharp turn when Aaron Nesmith delivered a hard foul on Cooper Flagg, a play that quickly shifted the tone inside the building and put the focus on a sequence far removed from the welcome-back mood Indiana had hoped to create.
Flagg landed awkwardly and left with a left shoulder injury, then was ruled out for the rest of the game, leaving the Mavericks to regroup after the collision. The aftermath brought technical fouls for both Nesmith and Naji Marshall, a reminder of how quickly a regular-season home date can turn chippy when emotions run high and the games biggest moments start coming with an edge. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Face Heat Over One Hard Foul On Cooper Flagg
A hard foul late in the game turned a routine Pacers-Mavericks matchup into something a lot more uncomfortable for Indiana, with Aaron Nesmiths contact sending Cooper Flagg to the floor and leaving the young Dallas forward dealing with a left shoulder injury. Officials reviewed the play and assessed Nesmith a flagrant one, while Flagg went to the locker room and did not return because of soreness.
For Indiana, the result on the scoreboard was only part of the fallout, because the play immediately became the main talking point once Dallas had finished off the win. Nesmith now sits at the center of the criticism after the sequence spread quickly on social media, and the Pacers are left waiting to see how the incident plays into the broader conversation around a physical game that got a lot more attention than anyone in the building probably wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Suddenly Have A Real TJ McConnell Decision To Make
With TJ McConnell still rehabbing a hamstring injury, Rick Carlisle turned to Quenton Jackson as the backup point guard and got a useful answer in the Pacers latest game. Jackson, who has G League experience and came into this season on a two-way deal, handled the role well enough to draw praise from Carlisle, giving Indiana a little more confidence in a spot that suddenly matters more than it did a week ago.
The bigger question is what happens when McConnell is ready to return. Indiana does not have many obvious alternatives behind the lead guards, and players such as Braden Smith and Kobe Brown are not yet ready or suited to take on that job full time. Jacksons showing has at least made this a real conversation for Carlisle and the Pacers, with the coming weeks likely to determine whether this is a temporary patch or something closer to a new order in the backcourt. [Read more 🡒]