Brandon Williams scored 20 and Dwight Powell scored 18 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 107-105 on Wednesday night in a matchup of injured-depleted teams.

The Mavericks brought in erratic former All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell to replace him, inking the 6-foot-4 Ohio State product to a two-year, $13 million deal. More news: Warriors Blockbuster 3-Team Trade Idea Sends Jonathan Kuminga to Bulls

The Mavs fouled up three with 3.4 seconds left. RayJ Dennis made the first, purposefully missed the second, the ball bounced out to Aaron Nesmith for a wide open three, and it bounced off the back of the iron as the buzzer sounded, and the Mavs would escape 107-105.

The Mavericks, now 2–3, have had a rough start to the season, dealing with injuries to Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Dante Exum. With Davis out against the Pacers, head coach Jason Kidd turned again to Flagg, who played more than 30 minutes and led the team’s starters in scoring.

The Dallas Mavericks are once again facing skepticism as the 2025–26 NBA season approaches.ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is predicting that the team will miss the playoffs. That analysis comes despite Dallas adding rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.

Aguirre’s jersey retirement will take place in a halftime ceremony of the Mavericks’ Jan. 29 game against the Charlotte Hornets. Aguirre, the franchise’s third all-time leading scorer who helped Dallas reach the Western Conference finals in 1988, was visibly emotional when Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont gave him the news last week.

"From the middle of the pack to the bottom of the standings, the Dallas Mavericks have fallen 15 spots in the NBA power rankings, the most out of any team in the league. This is not due to a lack of talent but because of their lack of intensity and attention to detail," Siegel wrote.

A war is brewing between the Mavericks and Stars franchises. The Mavericks say the Stars are not abiding by a legal contract.