The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, the second night of a back-to-back for the Mavs.

Despite it being a back-to-back, Kyrie Irving was in the lineup. He only played 28 minutes in Sunday's blowout of the Brooklyn Nets, and it's a good thing he was, because he was lights-out in the first half.

He had to be, as the Pacers weren't missing much on the offensive end early, especially Pascal Siakam. Indiana was shooting so well in the first half that the Mavericks ended up going zone. It didn't really work, even if they didn't have Tyrese Haliburton.

The Pacers were 9/16 from three in the first half, led by Pascal Siakam, who started 5/5 and had 26 points. Dallas was slightly below average from three, but it would've been tough to keep up with Indiana with the way they were shooting.

Irving had 15 points in the first half, and Cooper Flagg wasn't far behind with 13, but the Pacers held a 66-56 lead at halftime.

The Pacers cooled off a little bit in the second half, and that allowed the Mavericks to chip away. Santi Aldama hit a running hook shot, something you don't see often in 2026, which helped get the lead down to four, then, after traded buckets, P.J. Washington hit a corner three to bring the lead down to two with four minutes left in the period.

Irving would tie the game on a tough left-handed finish a possession later. The Pacers would take a three-point lead into the fourth, but it was at least a ballgame, and with players like Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks had to like their chances.

Flagg hit a tough three to tie the game again, giving him 30. They'd go back and forth, but a corner three from Irving would give them the lead a few minutes later.

Kyrie Irving drew a foul on a bailout to get three free throws. A few possessions later, P.J. Washington blocked Andrew Nembhard at the rim, and Cooper Flagg found Daniel Gafford in transition for an and-one to push the lead to seven.

The Pacers got the lead back down to two, but Flagg hit a three moving to his right on the right wing and hit a few free throws, and the lead was back up to eight, but Indiana wouldn't go away, getting the lead down to three with just under three minutes to go after an and-one by Andrew Nembhard. Three free throws would cut it to two with just over a minute left.

Cooper Flagg hit a shot over Pascal Siakam to give him 41 points, but Nesmith hit a three from the corner to cut it to one. Naji Marshall would split a pair of free throws but got his own miss, and the ball found its way to Cooper Flagg, who hit another midrange jumper.

Indiana still wouldn't go quietly. Aaron Nesmith drilled a three from the top of the key, cutting it back down to one with 20 seconds left. Kyrie Irving hit two free throws, and the Pacers finally missed on the next possession. The Mavericks could ice it away fro... P.J. Washington missed both free throws after a foul.

The Mavericks got the stop they needed and were able to win 125-122, behind 43 points from Cooper Flagg and 35 from Kyrie Irving.

Here are three overreactions from this clutch win, which pushes the Mavs to 7-4.

Rick Carlisle Always Gets His Teams to Play Hard in Dallas...

Rick Carlisle, the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, obviously knows Dallas well. He's the winningest coach in franchise history and led them to their lone title in 2011.

Carlisle and the Mavs didn't exactly split on the best terms in 2021, even if it was probably time for a change. Things felt stagnant, and Carlisle found a great opportunity back in Indiana.

But he always gets his teams to play hard in Dallas. Some things don't change. It felt like they had a magnet in the ball early, especially Pascal Siakam. But even without Tyrese Haliburton, they stayed competitive throughout the contest.

Cooper Flagg is a Better Movement Shooter Than Stand-Still

Cooper Flagg's biggest weakness early in his terrific NBA career has been his three-point shooting. He shot just 29.5% from deep last year and was shooting even worse early in this season.

It still doesn't always look pretty on catch-and-shoot opportunities, as it seems like he doesn't get enough out of his legs in those chances. However, he's been pretty good when on the move, especially in the last few games.

The overall shot will come around, but it's been interesting to see it progress.

The Mavericks Will Win a Lot of Fourth Quarters With Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving

The Mavericks have a lot of questions about scoring throughout a lot of the roster.

So, it helps when you get a combined 78 points from Irving and Flagg. They're capable of getting anywhere on the floor anytime they want.

Flagg had 15 points in the 4th quarter, and Irving had 10. Some teams will go an entire 4th quarter without scoring 25 points, and the Mavericks got it from two players. That's what will make them such an interesting team moving forward.

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