Naji Marshall missed all four of his three-point attempts Friday night and still scored 15 points. The Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 121-105, and Marshall’s line offered a useful reminder that an empty three-point column does not necessarily mean an empty offensive night.
He made seven of 15 shots, all seven inside the arc, added six assists and stole the ball three times. That is not a perfect shooting performance. It is a mixed one, which is generally how basketball works when the sport is played by humans rather than spreadsheet formulas.
Marshall’s first-quarter sequence gave Dallas a compact version of the evening. At 7:52, he stole the ball from Ivica Zubac. Sixteen seconds of game time later, Marshall made a 7-foot floating jumper, with Cooper Flagg credited for the assist. The possession did not require a three, and neither did Marshall’s defensive contribution that began it.
He then shifted from finisher to distributor. At 4:25, Marshall assisted Flagg on a 24-foot three-pointer. Thirty seconds later, Marshall made a 7-foot driving floater. Dallas closed the quarter with a 44-27 lead, and Marshall had already supplied a steal, an assist and two made floaters.
That blend mattered because Dallas was not relying on one scorer or one kind of possession. Flagg finished with 14 points and six assists in 17 minutes, Kyrie Irving scored 24 and P.J. Washington posted 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Marshall’s contribution sat between those jobs: he could attack the basket, make the next pass or create a possession by taking the ball away.
The second quarter offered the clearest evidence that his assists were doing more than decorating the box score. At 7:59, the play-by-play records Siakam losing the ball. Marshall was credited with the steal.
On Dallas’ next possession, he found Zaccharie Risacher for a 1-foot dunk. At 6:40, Marshall located Max Christie for a 28-foot three-pointer. Those plays helped Dallas keep stretching a lead that reached 61-31 before halftime.
Nineteen seconds of game time separated Christie’s three from Marshall’s next steal, this one coming when Zubac lost the ball. The timing is worth noting because it shows the connective nature of his night without pretending every takeaway became instant offense. Marshall created pressure, Dallas kept moving, and the margin continued to grow.
