Mavs 6 Takeaways From Coach's 1st Win As NBA Finals Power Spurs Await

Players doused Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May with ice water in the locker room at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night.

Dallas had just beaten the Indiana Pacers 121-105 for his first win as an NBA head coach.

Two nights earlier, the Mavericks lost their opener 128-110 at the Houston Rockets. Both teams are 1-1.

Our 6 Takeaways before a quick turnaround as the Spurs are at Dallas on Saturday on the second night of the back-to-back ... in a game in which it seems neither Cooper Flagg or Kyrie Irving will play ...

Dallas scored 44 points in the first 12 minutes.

The Mavericks went 16-of-23 from the field and 8-of-13 from 3-point range in the quarter, and Cooper Flagg had 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting with 4 assists.

Off the bench, Marcus Sasser made both of his 3-point attempts in the quarter and Zaccharie Risacher made his only one.

Against Houston, Dallas had scored 38 points in the first half. Friday's first-half total was 77. Indiana had 43, one fewer than the Mavericks put up in the first quarter alone.

The lead reached 37 on a Max Christie layup with 42.3 seconds left in the half.

Indiana never led. The game was tied three times, the last at 11-11 with 8:39 left in the first quarter.

For Kyrie Irving, the work came together in the 48 hours between the two games.

"I feel like we took a lot of things personal in terms of just our film session," Irving said, "and being able to be honest with each other during shootaround and taking things a lot more serious in terms of our approach and our preparation. I think that helped out a lot, and I like the look when we come into games and we're very serious. And I'm not saying we weren't serious the first game, but you can tell there's a lot of pressure, jitters, including myself, starting with me. I'm at the head of the attack on the offensive end, also defensively, just getting to my guy and making things difficult."

"So we had some great carryover moments and put a few possessions together, and you start losing yourself in the game," Irving continued. "And I feel like that's when we're at our best. And just no excuses, complaining, whispering out there, just straight to the attack of the game plan."

Flagg stole a pass from Pascal Siakam with 1:02 left in the half and Dallas ahead 73-40.

On the breakaway, Aaron Nesmith fouled him from behind, and Flagg landed on his left shoulder.

Officials assessed Nesmith a Flagrant 1. Naji Marshall and Nesmith drew a double technical after confronting each other.

Flagg made both free throws, checked out for Christie, and did not return.

He finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in 17 minutes. Dallas was plus-34 with him on the floor.

May saw Flagg in the locker room afterward and said he was in good spirits.

"Nesmith is a great guy, a heck of a player," May said. "I've known him since he was in high school. Obviously an unfortunate play. Hopefully Cooper's fine. But obviously something we wish wouldn't have happened."

Postgame, May listed Flagg with left shoulder soreness and said he would be evaluated over the next couple of days.

An MRI on Saturday morning showed a mild left shoulder sprain, the team announced, and Flagg was ruled out of Saturday's home opener against the San Antonio Spurs. He will be reevaluated next week.

Flagg scored 32 points in the opener at Houston.

Houston forward Tari Eason was ejected in the first quarter of that game after a Flagrant 2.

For May, the lesson from Houston was that the Mavericks got down, the scoreboard got away from them, and they let it go.

"I thought, once again, these learning lessons that each group has to go through," May explained. "This team was 0-1, this group. It doesn't matter how many wins each guy's been a part of. This team was 0-1. And whenever Tari Eason, he gave us some physicality [the other] night and that started or ignited a run for them. We didn't respond well to that level of physicality."

"I thought tonight our guys not only matched it but they channeled it in the right way, which isn't getting technicals and fouling and sending [them] to the line," May added. "It was just more force and more aggression and more togetherness."

Irving scored 24 points in 24:55 on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range. He was playing on a minutes restriction.

His fifth foul came with 9:33 left, on a Nesmith 3-point attempt.

The sixth came with 4:23 remaining and Dallas ahead 112-99, one second after Jalen Slawson stripped him. It was the first time Irving had fouled out in his career.

Irving said the streak lasted about 781 games, and that Marshall and Sasser settled Dallas at point guard after he went out.

"Technically, technically I played my minutes," Irving explained. "Technically I did what I was supposed to do in the game. But just from a mental standpoint, I gotta be better as a leader out there."

Marshall scored on an 8-foot turnaround on the next possession. Indiana got within 13 three times in the final 4:39 and never closer.

At times the Pacers full-denied Irving, and May said Irving put his chest into defenders on a couple of those possessions to open driving lanes for teammates.

"We're asking him to do a lot," May said. "And there were a couple times whenever you could see that as someone that's done what he's done, he knew the team needed him to make a play. He made several of them. And I thought the staff did a great job of managing the minutes with the flow of the game, his minutes with the flow of the game."

"And, man, he does things every single day that I tell the staff we need to put that in a teaching tape," May noted. "And, man, that's incredible. No detail is overlooked by Kyrie."

There is some buzz about Irving being "questionable'' for the Spurs game. Stay tuned.

Dallas finished with 11 blocks and 10 steals.

Indiana turned it over 21 times, and the Mavericks scored 31 points off those turnovers. The Pacers had 13 of them in the first half.

P.J. Washington and Risacher blocked 3 shots apiece. Flagg and Marshall each had 3 steals.

Indiana shot 7-of-32 from 3-point range, 2-of-15 in the first half, and Kelly Oubre Jr. went 1-of-10 from the field.

Daniel Gafford had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks in 14:36. May said Gafford had the most modest stat line of anyone who played incredibly well.

Transition defense was on May's list of what improved, along with ball security. The Pacers had 10 fast-break points.

"I thought we were flying around making intelligent risks and gambles, but also just covering for each other," May said. "There were several times whenever maybe someone went for — was defending in the post, and the ball got behind them, and you could see two or three guys rotating. We weren't flat-footed at all."

"We were quick to the ball, and give our medical staff a lot of credit to play at Houston, travel, come up here for our guys to look as quick as they did," May continued. "A lot of hours went into that, so let me give those guys a shout out as well."

Dallas went 1-3 in the preseason, closing with a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Morez Johnson Jr., the ninth overall pick in June, had 8 points and 6 rebounds in 16:49 off the bench.

He played for May at Michigan. Dallas was plus-21 with him on the floor, and in the fourth quarter he grabbed 2 offensive rebounds and scored on a putback with 7:11 left.

Washington had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He wants that plus-21 from Johnson for the rest of the season.

"He's gonna be really big for us this season," Washington said. "I love playing with Rez. He can rebound, he can defend, he can switch one to five. He talks very well for a rookie and he's a sponge. He's trying to learn each and every day. And he's doing his part. Obviously, he's gonna have an up and down year as a rookie. A lot of games, and I'm super excited we got him on our team for sure."

In April, May won the national championship at Michigan at Lucas Oil Stadium, less than a mile from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Mavericks hired him in June.

It was a business trip for May, and the night was about the group, not him.

"It's been a whirlwind," May said. "Obviously that was very difficult to leave that group of people that I worked with every day and was able to coach. They're the reason why I'm here. I'm very grateful for that experience, but a lot's happened. Every day I'm learning so much about myself and trying to be the best I can be."

"There's a big learning curve in this league and just trying to get a little bit better every day," May added. "And I think when this group, especially as young as we are, if we just turn our attention and focus to just laying our foundation and just growing a little bit every day, then we've got a chance to be a good team."

Saturday is May's home debut, against the Spurs at 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center. San Antonio is 0-2.

Dallas plays Monday at the Miami Heat, then returns home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and Houston on Friday.