Naji Marshall had already made the first free throw when the possession threatened to disappear. He missed the second with 38.6 seconds left, then grabbed his own offensive rebound. Cooper Flagg followed with a jumper at 26.3 seconds, restoring a four-point Dallas lead in a 125-122 victory over Indiana on Monday night at American Airlines Center.
That sequence was more than a late-game curiosity. It was the shape of the Mavericks’ escape. Dallas collected 10 offensive rebounds to Indiana’s one and won the overall rebounding battle 43-27.
Those extra boards did not automatically become points, and they did not belong to one player. They kept the Pacers defending after possessions appeared to be over, giving Dallas enough additional chances to survive a game decided by three points.
Marshall’s rebound drew attention because it came so late. The box score shows how widely Dallas had shared that work. P.J. Washington and Flagg each had two offensive rebounds, as did Zaccharie Risacher in 15 minutes. Marshall collected three on his own, including the one that bought Dallas another chance late.
The point of a rebound like Marshall’s is that the defense has already done a substantial part of the work. It has brought the offense to a shot and seen that shot miss. When the ball comes back to the shooter, the defenders still have to get another stop.
Against a team making its shots as efficiently as Indiana did Monday, that extra chance was worth chasing.
The Pacers made 43 field goals, exactly as many as Dallas, and shot 52 percent. They also made 15 3-pointers to the Mavericks’ 14. Pascal Siakam supplied the early damage, scoring 26 points before halftime on 8-for-9 shooting, 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 5-for-6 at the line.
He finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists without a turnover, so Indiana’s offense remained organized even after his scoring dropped to three points after halftime.
Dallas entered the break down 66-56 and still trailed 93-90 after three quarters. The comeback required shot making, certainly, but it also required the Mavericks to keep manufacturing possessions around their stars. Flagg finished with a season-high 43 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Kyrie Irving scored 35 and made seven 3-pointers, his season high in makes from deep. Together they scored 26 of Dallas’ 35 fourth-quarter points.
