Cooper Flagg’s 18-foot pullup with 26.3 seconds left pushed Dallas ahead 123-119, a small cushion in a game that had refused to stay comfortable. Indiana answered with another three-pointer before Kyrie Irving’s free throws finally put the Mavericks three points clear in a 125-122 victory over the Pacers on Monday night.
The score required Flagg to perform two different jobs. He had to help Dallas climb out of a deficit, then make the decisions that kept a narrow lead from vanishing. His final line—43 points, 10 rebounds and six assists—was impressive. The more revealing number was the split: 13 points before halftime, 30 afterward.
Indiana led 66-56 at the break, and Pascal Siakam had already produced 26 points on 8-for-9 shooting. He made five of his six three-point attempts before halftime and finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The Pacers were scoring efficiently enough that Dallas could not wait for a single dramatic swing. The Mavericks needed repeated answers.
Flagg supplied them early in the third quarter with shots suited to a team still chasing the game. He made a 10-foot turnaround, a 15-foot pullup and an eight-foot driving floater in the opening minutes, then added a driving layup with 7:22 left. At 2:03, he made both free throws to cut Indiana’s lead to 87-86.
That work changed the shape of the game without finishing the comeback. Indiana still led 93-90 after three quarters, but the 14 points from Flagg in the period had turned a 10-point problem into a one-possession fight. Dallas was no longer asking one possession to rescue the night. It was asking its best scorers to make the next sound decision.
The fourth quarter became a test of scoring balance and timing. Irving’s three-pointer at 9:36 gave Dallas a 98-97 lead. Flagg followed with two free throws, and Irving made three more at 8:30 for a 103-99 advantage.
Flagg and Irving scored 26 of Dallas’ 35 points in the quarter, but their value was in the alternating pressure. Dallas did not need Flagg to manufacture every basket while Irving was making shots from outside.
Early in the fourth, Flagg tied the game with a three. Later, when Dallas had a lead to protect, he made two pullups. The first pushed the margin to four at 1:02. The second came after Dallas had extended a possession on an offensive rebound. Both times Indiana responded with a three, which gives you some idea of what a missed shot would have cost.
Nesmith’s second three in the final minute left Dallas ahead 123-122. Irving made two free throws, Nesmith missed his next three and P.J. Washington took the rebound. Washington then missed both free throws with four seconds left, leaving the Pacers one more possession. Caleb Martin deflected Andrew Nembhard’s pass before Indiana could get a shot.
