Indiana will test the problem Dallas just exposed

What changed

The cleanest question for Dallas on Friday is whether one bad quarter becomes a habit. Houston scored 29 fast-break points and turned 21 Mavericks turnovers into 32 points Wednesday. Indiana arrives with the guard most capable of pressing that weakness: Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and 12 assists in a 123-120 opening win at New Orleans.

This will be Haliburton’s first regular-season home game in 490 days after he missed last season while recovering from a torn right Achilles. The Pacers already showed their preferred speed in New Orleans, winning the fast-break battle 27-10. Dallas, meanwhile, is coming off a second quarter in which rushed offense and poor transition communication fed a 38-12 Houston run.

Cooper Flagg’s 32-point opener gives Dallas a source of rim pressure. The more revealing work will happen before he touches the ball again: cleaner floor balance, fewer live-ball turnovers and faster matchups when possessions change. Those details will decide whether Kyrie Irving and Flagg get to attack a set defense on their terms—or spend another night chasing the game.