It was supposed to be a celebratory night for Mac McClung. Tonight was his long-awaited debut for the Indiana Pacers, and a chance for the G-League standout and three-time Dunk Contest champion to take the chance to prove that he belongs. But unfortunately for him, Cooper Flagg stole his thunder. During one play, Flagg backed him down in the post, then spun quickly, drilling a soft-touch hook – nothing flashy, just smooth. It was what happened afterward that caught attention.

Immediately after his bucket, Flagg turned to McClung, dropped his hand low, and hit him with the “too small” gesture. Just like that, the internet had its next viral clip. The play immediately gained traction on social media, and fans loved it. The teenage forward just came off a quiet showing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, recording just two points on poor shooting, and made a statement today, at McClung’s expense.

McClung, who was previously sign-and-waived by the Chicago Bulls this offseason, was brought in by Indiana to help their point guard problem. Early in the season, the Pacers have faced an extreme lack of guard talent: Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell, Benedict Mathurin, Kam Jones, Johnny Furphy, Taelon Peter, Quenton Jackson, and Tyrese Haliburton are all sidelined with various injuries. Now, with only Ben Sheppard and RayJ Dennis left, the team has picked up McClung.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle also recently spoke on their new acquisition. During an appearance on a radio show, he said, “He can score, he’s a hard-playing guy. For all the things we did in the workout, he didn’t dunk the ball once. … We need a guy that has energy, can go hard, is healthy – I think ‘is healthy’ is probably the number one thing – and that can play a couple of positions. He can play point, he can play off the ball.”

Now, with McClung, the Pacers look to find an early season rhythm.

Flagg has already shown an ability to deliver stunning highlights, and this wasn’t his only one from tonight. During the first half, Flagg bumped off Pacers guard Ben Sheppard before slam dunking the basketball, lighting up the crowd at the Mavs home game.

Cooper Flagg Bounces Back as Dallas Mavericks Bench Powers Win

The Dallas Mavericks bench stepped up in a major way to win a nail-biter tonight against the Indiana Pacers, 107-105. Guard Brandon Williams led the charge with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Dwight Powell earned 12 free throws off his relentless drives.

Even without their veteran big Anthony Davis, who left in the first quarter due to a left leg injury, the second unit carried the load, handing the Pacers their fourth consecutive loss to start this season.

Cooper Flagg in particular bounced back well from his rough outing against OKC, notching a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. The #1 overall pick looked poised, showing no sign of the soreness that he played through last game.

His two-way effort was key, as he helped contain the Pacers surge late in the fourth quarter. D’Angelo Russell also stepped up, scoring 14 points as Dallas closed the game out strong.

On the other end, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 27 points and 13 rebounds, with Jarace Walker and RayJ Dennis scoring 20 and 17 points each.

Indiana managed to claw their way out of a 12-point deficit in the final seconds, but Dennis’ intentional miss at the free throw line leading to a missed wide-open Aaron Nesmith buzzer-beater sealed their fate.

This loss is an especially demoralizing one for the Pacers, who have lost multiple close games to open the season.