DALLAS — Before the Indiana Pacers lost 125-122 at American Airlines Center on Monday night, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle praised the job Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May has done in his first NBA season. Carlisle held that same job in Dallas for 13 seasons, from 2008 to 2021. The Mavericks won the 2011 NBA championship under him.
In June 2021, Carlisle left for Indiana, where he had first coached from 2003 to 2007. Dallas hired May on June 23, 2026, to replace Jason Kidd, whom the Mavericks dismissed May 19 after a 26-56 season.
Rick Carlisle On Dusty May’s First Season
The game was the second half of a back-to-back for Dallas. A night earlier, the Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 130-93 to move to 6-4.
“Massive respect for him as a person and as a coach,” Carlisle said. “The guy accomplished so much at the college level, and he’s doing it here. This is a very, very good team.”
Carlisle called May’s first 10 games a “great, great job.” His pregame session turned to Cooper Flagg as well. Carlisle coached Luka Dončić in 2019-20, when Dončić went from 21.2 points per game as a rookie to 28.8 in his second season.
“It’s clear to me that Flagg has gotten stronger,” Carlisle explained. “Luka got stronger his second year as well. There are some real similarities between the two players even though they are different, but they’re both doing it with great size, they make plays with the ball, they can score from anywhere on the floor, and they have a real physical impact on the game offensively.”
“Luka is just so strong and Flagg is even stronger,” Carlisle continued. “Luka was a great rebounder, too, and I think Flagg is as well. There are similarities with those guys. They’re both great and are getting greater.”
Flagg went for a season-high 43 points against Indiana that night.
May’s Path From Michigan To A 7-4 Start
Michigan went 64-13 in May’s two seasons in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines beat UConn in the 2026 national championship game.
Florida Atlantic gave May his first head coaching job in 2018. The Owls reached the Final Four in his fifth season there. He left the college game 190-82 as a head coach.
The Mavericks have not lost since a 112-111 defeat in San Antonio on Nov. 4. They have won six of their last eight. Opponents are scoring 110.3 points per game against Dallas, the ninth-fewest in the NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton was inactive for Indiana, which dropped to 3-8. Dallas plays the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT.
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