Mavericks 125, Pacers 122: Cooper Flagg Scores 43 and Kyrie Irving Adds 35 as Dallas Wins Its Third Straight
Dallas erased a 13-point deficit at the American Airlines Center on Monday night: Cooper Flagg's season-high 43 — 30 of them after halftime — and Kyrie Irving's 35 carried the Mavericks past Indiana 125-122.
DALLAS — The Mavericks' Monday night ended in an argument about the last play, which is what happens when a 13-point comeback comes down to one possession. Dallas beat Indiana 125-122 at the American Airlines Center, behind a season-high 43 points from Cooper Flagg and 35 from Kyrie Irving.
Flagg scored 30 of his 43 in the second half, hitting 16 of 25 shots with 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals; at 19, he became the second teenager ever to post a 40-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist game, after Kevin Durant did it for Seattle in 2007-08, according to Reuters' game report. Irving, completing a back-to-back for the first time this season, hit 7 of 10 three-pointers, and the pair combined for 26 points in a fourth quarter Dallas won 35-29 — including the Mavericks' first 13 points of the period.
Indiana nearly kept the game it had led for most of the night. Pascal Siakam scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half as the Pacers built their 13-point lead, and the game was still open at the end: after two Irving free throws made it 125-122 with 18 seconds left, Aaron Nesmith missed a three, and Indiana's final possession ended when Caleb Martin tipped away Andrew Nembhard's pass. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle objected to a no-call on that last play, calling the contact a 'football-caliber collision,' the Indianapolis Star reported.
Dallas has won three straight and improves to 7-4; Indiana falls to 3-8 with its second straight loss.
