After getting smoked by the Dallas Mavericks in their home opener last month, the Indiana Pacers were hoping for some revenge on Monday night in Dallas. That pursuit was looking pretty good after a 13-point halftime lead. In the end, however, the Mavericks prevailed and swept the season series over Indiana, defeating the Pacers by a final score of 125-122.

The Pacers ended up leading in this game for 32 minutes, but all that matters is the team that is leading after the 48th minute. Here are the main takeaways from Monday night's game.

A tale of two halves for Pascal Siakam.

Siakam couldn't be stopped in the first half, as the 4-time All-Star had 26 points and made 5-of-6 from three in those first 24 minutes. He was a huge reason the Pacers built that halftime lead, and it looked like the Mavericks had no answers for him. The second half was a different story.

Give credit to Dusty May and the Mavericks defense for changing the narrative in the second half. Siakam was held to just three points in the final 24 minutes, finishing the game with 29 points. He shot just 1-for-7 in the second half and saw several different looks from the Dallas defense.

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving too much to handle.

One of the league's best duos was at it again on Monday night, and the Pacers were unable to contain either player. Cooper Flagg had 43 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, while his teammate Kyrie Irving added 35 points himself. The pair shot a combined 27-for-43 from the field and continued to make the biggest plays down the stretch.

Dallas was playing on a back-to-back, making this loss even more difficult to take for the Pacers, but the duo of Flagg and Irving simply couldn't be stopped.

Better shooting, but still a loss.

The Pacers have struggled this season in 3-point shooting. On Monday night, they connected on 15 3's and shot 52% from the field for the game. It was the kind of numbers that typically result in a win, but not on this night.

The Pacers also had 35 assists to just 13 turnovers which is a lot closer to what we've come to expect from this team. So the offensive progress was good, but it still ends up in the loss column. The Pacers are now off to a very disappointing 3-8 start to the season.

Next up: The Pacers will come home to host the Wizards on Wednesday and Knicks on Friday. They will be looking for their first home victory of the young season.