The Magic fall to a fourth season loss, 98-112 to the Dallas Mavericks after another difficult night of injury issues but improved commitment.
SHORTHANDED TEAMS
The Magic came into the game short handed through our well documented injury crisis. However Dallas were hit by the news they had lost 3 of their top 5 scorers to COVID protocols.
That didn’t stop the Mavs racing into a 1st quarter 27-36 lead as Orlando struggled to get going in the game.
AT THE HALF
By the half the deficit was 50-56 on the back of some better Magic D in the 2nd quarter. A low foul rate & very few turnovers had kept Orlando in the game.
Shooting was the major difference as the Magic went for 13% from the 3, hitting a paltry 2-15. Gary Clark was the only successful Magic player with the three in the first half. Clark made two successive shots late in the second quarter to end the drought from deep.
Conversely Dallas were hitting 53% from 3 on 10-19. That statistic tied the Dallas franchise record for made 3’s in a half.
QUARTERS 3 AND 4
A couple of quick 3’s from Aaron Gordon & Cole Anthony to start the second half helped Orlando. It sparked a 15-1 scoring Orlando run, giving the Magic a lead. But that was a good as it got.
Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr were hot all night. The final moment of the 3rd quarter saw Luka Doncic hit a buzzer beating 3, their 16th of the night. Dallas had moved to a 75-85 advantage as the game went into the final quarter.
By the close the final score had extended to a losing deficit for Orlando of 98-112. The team move to a 6-4 start to the season.
A TALE OF SHOOTING AS THE MAGIC FALL TO A FOURTH SEASON LOSS
The night was defined by our inability to both shoot and defend the long ball effectively.
The Magic finished with 6-31 from the 3 (19.4%) whilst Dallas hit 20-40 (50%). That’s a 42 point difference in a game that was lost by 14 points!
Orlando were again carried by the impressive Nikola Vucevic. Vooch led the team, knocking in his 7 double-double of the season with 30 points and 15 rebounds.
Terrence Ross was harried all night by Wes Iwundu, who seemed on a mission to prove a point having been released by Orlando in the off-season.
Luke Doncic tallied a triple-double despite being played hard by a AG led Magic defence. Unfortunately on the night both Tim Hardaway Jr and Trey Burke were electric with the long ball. Each scored personal season highs Hardaway hitting 36 and Burke 29 including 8-9 from beyond the arc.
MOVING ON FROM A FOURTH SEASON LOSS
The performance was improved from the night before in Houston. However if Orlando are to remain in the playoff seedings they have to find a way to cope with the pressures of the schedule and injuries quickly.
The schedule now sees Orlando return to the Amway to face Milwaukee on Monday night before another tough road trip commences.
A full game review by Josh Cohen on the Orlando Magic website can be read here.
