Dusty May’s first victory as the Dallas Mavericks’ coach came with an unusually clear work order. Dallas beat Indiana 121-105 on Friday, building a 34-point halftime lead before surrendering 62 points after the break. The result belongs in the win column; the game belongs in the coaching folder. Keep the early distribution. Clean up the foul trouble.
The first half gave May a substantial lead and a useful range of contributors. Dallas scored 77 points, and the offense did not depend on one player forcing every advantage. By the final accounting, Cooper Flagg had six assists in seventeen minutes, Marshall also had six, Gafford five and Christie four.
Dallas finished with twenty-eight assists, a useful sign of shared creation even if one game cannot certify a system.
The first coaching decision after a result like this is what deserves repeating. A winning score does not make every possession a model. Conversely, a poor second half does not erase the work that created room to survive it.
May has useful examples from multiple players, including Flagg’s scoring and passing before his night ended, without needing to label the whole performance either a breakthrough or a failure.
There is a practical preparation task in that mix. The next opponent can see Irving’s five made threes and Washington’s twenty points, but can also see where Dallas needed Marshall’s passing and Gafford’s five assists. Several players sharing creation makes an offense less dependent on its leading scorer being available throughout. Friday’s interruptions made that advantage more than a pleasant early-season idea.
Flagg was the most complete example, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals while shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range. His night ended after a late-second-quarter foul sequence, and he did not play after halftime. Irving led Dallas with 24 points and five 3-pointers.
Washington added 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. A first win with that many contributors gives May material to preserve without pretending the Mavericks have already solved their offense.
Indiana’s response supplied the correction. The Pacers scored 62 points in the second half, and Pascal Siakam deserves credit for driving it with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points and seven assists.
Indiana also finished with 60 points in the paint, a reminder that an enormous early lead can make defensive possessions look cleaner than they are. Dallas still won comfortably, but the final two quarters required more than scoreboard maintenance.