The NBA has a solid schedule Monday night with multiple great games. We see Luka go to Atlanta – a place he seems to have a grudge against because they traded him on draft night – and we have two of the best teams in basketball squaring off, with the Nuggets and Rockets taking each other on. Virtually everyone on the Nuggets is on the injured list, so I am going to take a different game. Tonight, we are looking at the Pacers vs. Mavs game as our play of the night.
The Indiana Pacers are two years removed from going to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They couldn’t pull it off as Oklahoma City took them down. In that same series, Tyrese Halliburton tore his Achilles. That made all of last year essentially a waste of time for them. He missed the entire season, and the Pacers were one of the worst teams in the league. He returned to action this season and is sitting at 3-7 for the season and they are 3-2 for the year on the road.
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Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers walks off the court after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Halliburton is once again out for the game because of a hamstring injury. Unfortunately for them, TJ McConnell is a game-time decision because of a hamstring issue of his own. Winning in the NBA is incredibly difficult. Winning without a point guard is even more difficult. Look at teams like the Suns from a few years ago, the Mavs from last season, or even look at all the teams that added Chris Paul and the success he brought to them. The Pacers have lost four of their past five games, but they do have a rest advantage tonight.
PACERS STAR TYRESE HALIBURTON MOVED TO TEARS AFTER LONG-AWAITED RETURN FROM ACHILLES INJURY
The Dallas Mavericks are a few more years past their Finals loss, but this team looks significantly different. They traded away Doncic, and while that was one of the most perplexing decisions of all time (and I’m still convinced, orchestrated by the NBA), they did end up with Cooper Flagg who might be the second-best asset in the entire league. To be clear, that doesn’t mean he is the second-best player in the league, but Flagg has been outstanding in his first season and at the beginning of this year. I’m not sure that he would be traded for anyone outside of Victor Wembanyama.
Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks moves the ball down court against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on Nov. 3, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Dallas is 6-4 , with all of its wins coming at home. This is their third game in four nights, and it is part of a back-to-back. The Mavericks won both of their past two games very comfortably, though. They beat Utah by 12, and they beat Brooklyn yesterday by almost 40. That’s the kind of win you want the day before playing again. Dallas has been solid against the bad teams in the league (their losses have been against the Spurs (twice), the Rockets, and once to the Kings). The Kings loss is the only one that is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) drives to the basket guarded by Utah Jazz forward Kyle Anderson (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
The Mavs are one of the better teams in the league, but I am curious about which players will be available for both teams. It does appear that Kyrie Irving and Flagg will be available. In fact, it seems like all of their players are going to be available. The Mavs have a solid bench, and overall, the team is stronger than the Pacers. The last time the two teams played, the Mavs won by 16, and there was a hard foul on Flagg. I think that gives the Mavs extra motivation. I think the Mavs have too many edges in this one to pass up. Give me Dallas -3.5.
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