The Dallas Mavericks had already built the winning margin by halftime Friday night. They led Indiana 77-43, a 34-point advantage that carried them through a second half the Pacers won 62-44 before Dallas finished with a 121-105 victory. The result belongs to the opening burst. The second half deserves a separate, substantially less flattering grade.
Cooper Flagg’s shoulder soreness kept him out after halftime. Kyrie Irving later reached six fouls and could not finish the game. Those interruptions changed the personnel Dallas used to protect the lead. They deserve consideration alongside the Pacers’ improved offense, without becoming a reason to excuse every possession the remaining Mavericks failed to finish.
Dallas reached 61-31 during the second quarter with several players contributing. Marshall’s offensive rebound and follow, Christie’s three and Risacher’s dunk were different ways to add to the lead. The Pacers had to defend scoring from more than Irving, and their own empty trips made the task heavier. A huge first half is usually easier to build when the scoring burden travels around the lineup.
Dallas led 44-27 after one quarter and kept adding distance in the second. The margin reached 61-31 after a stretch that included Marshall’s offensive rebound and tip-in, Christie’s 28-foot 3-pointer, Risacher’s dunk and Morez Johnson Jr.’s dunk assisted by Flagg. Gafford later scored on a 10-foot floating shot, and Risacher turned an offensive rebound into another basket.
Dallas did not need one player to sustain the advantage; its starters and reserves kept producing useful possessions.
Flagg’s first half ended after the late sequence involving Aaron Nesmith. Flagg made both free throws associated with the play, reached 14 points and did not return after halftime. His 17-minute line included five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a plus-34.
The shoulder-related absence plainly altered Dallas’s available creation and defensive activity, but it cannot account for every point that followed. Indiana had to improve, and Dallas had to execute without one of its most influential players.
The Pacers did improve after the break. Haliburton scored on a 1-foot basket and then added a 12-foot floater, while Siakam and Zubac helped Indiana find points inside. Dallas answered with Irving’s 17-foot jumper and a 24-foot 3-pointer, yet the rhythm had changed.
At 9:23 of the third quarter, Dallas committed a shot-clock turnover. Indiana also extended possessions with offensive rebounds after missed perimeter attempts. The Pacers won the quarter 33-21, reducing the deficit to 98-76.
That comeback remained limited by Indiana’s shooting. The Pacers made only 7 of 32 3-point attempts, while Siakam scored 23 and Haliburton finished with 18 points and seven assists. Their 60 points in the paint and 13 offensive rebounds still exposed a more uncomfortable truth for Dallas: eleven blocks do not automatically complete a defensive possession.
