Cooper Flagg scored 43 points and Kyrie Irving added 35 as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 125-122 in the NBA at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, 9 November 2026.

The pair combined for 78 of Dallas's 125 points, erasing a 13-point Pacers lead to win a game that went down to the final seconds. The Mavericks improved to 7-4 for the season, while the Pacers fell to 3-8 with their second straight defeat.

Flagg's big night

Flagg, 19, shot 16 of 25 from the field, including three of six from three-point range, and made all eight of his free throws. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out six assists, made three steals and blocked one shot in just under 39 minutes on court.

Sixteen of his points came in the fourth quarter, when Dallas needed him most. With the game in the balance, Flagg and Irving took over, scoring almost two-thirds of their team's points between them.

Irving finished with 35 points, including seven three-pointers, and four assists. P.J. Washington contributed 13 points and nine rebounds for Dallas.

Pacers led by Siakam

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 29 points, 26 of them in the first half, and Aaron Nesmith added 18. The Pacers built a 13-point lead and led at half-time, but they could not hold off Dallas's late surge.

Indiana's defeat was its second in a row. The Pacers had chances late on, but Dallas held firm in the closing seconds to protect a three-point lead.

How the game turned

Indiana won the first two quarters, 31-26 and 35-30, to take a lead into half-time, and the Pacers still led after three quarters. Dallas won the third quarter 34-27 and the fourth 35-29, turning the game around in the second half as Flagg and Irving took control.

Flagg has now scored at least 20 points in seven of his first 10 games of the season, and the 43 points were the best scoring night of his young NBA career so far.

What comes next

The win extends the Mavericks' winning run to three games. Dallas next visits the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, 12 November, while Indiana hosts the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, 11 November.

For Flagg, the 43 points were a season high and the standout performance of his young NBA career so far, in only his tenth game of the season. Dallas will hope the duo can repeat the trick on the road in Minnesota.