Mavericks' Cooper Flagg forced to exit game after shoulder injury in 1st half

Cooper Flagg had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 17 minutes before exiting the game.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) —

Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and the Dallas Mavericks overcame the loss of Cooper Flagg to spoil

Tyrese Haliburton

‘s home return for the Indiana Pacers in a

121-105 victory

Friday night.

Flagg, last season’s

Kia NBA Rookie of the Year

, did not play in the second half after he injured his left shoulder when he was fouled by Aaron Nesmith on what looked like it would be a breakaway dunk.

Nesmith was called for a flagrant foul, and a double technical was assessed after a brief shoving match ensued. Flagg finished with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Haliburton played in his first home game since the 2025 NBA Finals.

Irving made 5-for-10 from 3-point range. P.J. Washington had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks in their first win under new coach Dusty May, who grew up in Indiana.

While Haliburton received a rousing ovation during player introductions, Indiana’s play soon turned those cheers into boos.

Dallas went on a 22-6 run in the first quarter to open up a 42-23 lead then scored 15 straight points in the second quarter to make it 61-31. The Mavs added another 10-0 run later in the second before Nesmith’s hard foul.