Kyrie Irving’s second night mattered more than his seven threes

Kyrie Irving played Sunday against Brooklyn. On Monday, the Mavericks asked him to play 38 minutes against Indiana and handle some of the most delicate possessions of a 125-122 win. The seven threes were the part that jumped out of the box score. The fact that Dallas could give him that work on a second consecutive night was the change worth keeping track of.

Monday was Irving’s first time playing both nights of a back-to-back this season. He’d been away from the game for 19 months with an ACL tear before his return this season. Dallas had already seen him make shots since he came back.

On Monday it had him for a long evening directly after another game, and Indiana had enough offense to make that extra work matter.

Dallas needed it because Indiana made the Mavericks work for every inch. The Pacers led 66-56 at halftime and 93-90 after three quarters. Pascal Siakam had already scored 26 points on 8-for-9 shooting, including 5-for-6 from three, and finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists without a turnover. Indiana was not waiting around for one Dallas star to solve the evening.

Cooper Flagg nearly did anyway. He scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out six assists, with 30 points after halftime. His 16 fourth-quarter points were indispensable. They were also insufficient by themselves. Indiana kept answering, and Dallas needed a second scorer who could create pressure without asking Flagg to carry every possession.

Irving filled that role in several ways. During the third-quarter push, he hit a three, added a running jumper and tied the game at 84 with a driving layup at 3:40. Early in the fourth, his two-point basket tied the score at 95.

At 9:36, he drilled a three that put Dallas ahead 98-97. Then, at 8:30, he made all three free throws to help build a 103-99 advantage.

The larger point is not simply that Irving made difficult shots. He remained involved as the game moved into its most demanding stretch. Irving and Flagg combined for 26 of Dallas’ 35 fourth-quarter points.

Irving finished with 35, matching his season best, while shooting 7-for-10 from behind the arc and 6-for-7 at the line. His seven made threes were a season high, but the fourth-quarter workload carried more significance than the box-score flourish.

Dallas still needed help from the rest of the lineup. Gafford followed Irving’s early fourth-quarter free throws with a basket and a free throw. The Mavericks also had a clear edge on the glass. Those plays let Dallas keep some of the lead Irving had helped build, though it was never big enough to make his last trip to the line optional.

Indiana’s reserves outscored Dallas’s 47-26, and Aaron Nesmith made the finish uncomfortable in his own right. He cut the lead to one with a three, Flagg scored again, and Nesmith brought it back to one with another. Dallas needed a second creator who was available for more than a short appearance.

Irving then made both free throws with 18.0 seconds left. Nesmith missed from three at 6.5, Washington secured the rebound, and Dallas survived a final possession that ended after Caleb Martin was credited with a steal at 0.9 seconds.

The minutes give Dallas something else to consider. He had already played against Brooklyn the previous night. Indiana then led Dallas at the half and again after three quarters. Irving had to keep making shots and handling the ball after the part of the evening when a big lead might have let the Mavericks move on to other players.

A close game can make its last shot look like the whole story. For Dallas, the more durable development came before that finish: Irving played Sunday, played Monday and remained central when Flagg’s extraordinary night still needed help.

Sources

ESPN: final game record and play-by-play

Associated Press via ESPN: game reporting

Mavericks: regional broadcast footprint