Kyrie Irving told his teammates right after Sunday's win over Brooklyn that he would be in uniform again Monday. Twenty-four hours later, he was the steadiest player on the floor.
Irving scored 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting, hit 7 of 10 from beyond the arc, his most 3s this season, and went 6 of 7 at the line as the Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 125-122. It was the first time he has played on consecutive nights since tearing his ACL in March 2025, an injury that kept him out for 19 months.
He sat out the second game of Dallas' first back-to-back of the season two and a half weeks ago.
Irving played a season-high 38 minutes, and the Mavericks outscored Indiana by 29 points while he was on the floor. In a three-point game, that was the widest margin on either roster.
"Sometimes, I think the plus-minus in one game is a little overblown, but his plus-29 was very indicative of how important he is," coach Dusty May said. "Kai's shotmaking righted the ship for us."
Dallas trailed by 13 in the second quarter and by 10 at halftime. Irving's 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Mavericks a 98-97 lead they never gave up. He and Cooper Flagg scored the team's first 13 points of the quarter, and with Indiana down a point and 18 seconds left, Irving made both free throws for a 125-122 cushion.
Caleb Martin's deflection on the final inbound play sealed it.
The 35 points tied Irving's best total of the season. Flagg had 43, and the pair combined for 78.
