Dallas Mavericks Defeat Orlando Magic 101-92

The Dallas Mavericks continued their four-game road trip with the third game against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night. The Mavericks defeated the Magic 101-92 at the Kia Center in downtown Orlando. Dallas improved to 36-39 and avoided a two-game losing skid, while Orlando fell to 35-39 and watched its three-game winning streak end.

Jaden Hardy led the Mavericks with 22 points and three rebounds. Anthony Davis followed up with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Brandon Williams had 14 points, two rebounds, and six assists. Klay Thompson added 12 points and four rebounds. Max Christie scored 12 points, had three rebounds, and two assists. Naji Marshall recorded 6 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Caleb Martin tallied five points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Dallas Mavericks-Orlando Magic Recap

The Dallas Mavericks ruled out Daniel Gafford with a right knee sprain, Dante Exum with a left hand fracture, Dereck Lively II with a right ankle stress fracture, Kyrie Irving with a torn ACL, PJ Washington Jr. with a left ankle sprain, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper with a right wrist sprain. Irving underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The Orlando Magic ruled out Cole Anthony with a left big toe strain, Jalen Suggs with a left knee cartilage fragment, and Moritz Wagner with a torn ACL. Orlando’s starting lineup featured Cory Joseph, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. And, of course, Dallas’s starting lineup featured Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Anthony Davis, and Kai Jones.

The first quarter started slow but sped up. Max Christie shone with a corner pocket while Paolo Banchero succeeded in the post. The Mavericks settled for a 19-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter remained close. Brandon Williams showcased his range, while Wendell Carter Jr. fended off defenders to throw down a dunk. Kai Jones suffered a left hip contusion and didn’t return. The Magic took a 50-43 lead into halftime.

The third-quarter scoring resembled the first and second quarters. Caleb Martin showcased his offensive talent and played defense while Paolo Banchero threw down a powerful slam dunk. The Mavericks took their first lead of the game 77-70 through three quarters. The fourth quarter remained in favor of the Mavericks. Jaden Hardy buried back-to-back three-pointers. The Mavericks won 101-92 in regulation.

Mavericks-Magic Highlights

The Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic’s game featured multiple highlights, such as the recent comments of Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd about Anthony Davis’s return to Brooklyn on Monday. Kidd told the media that Naji Marshall was aggressive after coming off the bench with Davis starting at power forward, and Davis’s performance left him hopeful of the Mavericks’ depth.

For the Mavericks, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently blamed the Mavericks’ former majority owner, Mark Cuban, for the Luka Doncic trade. Simmons said on his podcast, “Now he’s trying to distance himself desperately from the Luka trade and he’ll do any interview and talk about how he can’t believe … You did sell the team to these dudes; this is your fault… I thought you loved the Mavericks, I thought you loved the fans, I thought you loved Luka.”

And, for the Magic, the Magic’s 118-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Kia Center on Monday has been a hot topic. The Lakers lost three games in a row that day. Lakers head coach JJ Redick told the media, “I think a couple of guys, maybe from the schedule and being in and out of the lineup, and a couple of guys being injured, we just look tired.”

Final Thoughts

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the New York Knicks, 128-113, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart each recorded a triple-double. Towns finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Hart tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, as the Knicks outscored the Mavericks in the second half, 60-45.

Tuesday’s game was the 50th — and final — game in which Kessler Edwards was on the Mavericks’ active roster this season. Edwards was one of the Maverick’s two-way players. Edwards averaged 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 15.1 minutes and shot 49.6% from the field in 40 games for the Mavericks. Edwards started in 18 games and had 10 games where he was active but didn’t play.

Naji Marshall led all Mavericks with 12 points (6-7 from the field) in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game, marking the highest-scoring first quarter of his career. Marshall extended his career-best double-figure scoring streak to 12 games. Marshall ended the first half with 28 points (13-15 from the field, 1-2 from the three-point line, and 1-1 from the free-throw line), tying for the most points in a half by a Maverick this season.

Naji Marshall scored more in his 28-point half Tuesday than in any full game in his first four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans (24 points at the Dallas Mavericks on January 7, 2023). In the play-by-play era, Marshall joined Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber, Al Jefferson, Bison Dele, and Luis Scola as the only players to record at least 28 points in a half, while making 1-or-fewer 3-pointers and 1-or-fewer free throws.

Naji Marshall ended Tuesday’s game with a career-high 38 points (17-25 from the field goal line, 1-3 from the three-point line, and 3-5 from the free-throw line) and seven rebounds. Marshall has averaged 23.5 points (.541 field goal percentage) and 7.8 rebounds in his last 12 games. Marshall’s potent floater game has helped him have a career season.

The Mavericks and the Mavs Foundation continue prioritizing community involvement in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex. From safe learn-and-play spaces to volunteer initiatives, the Mavs Foundation’s impact reaches far and wide. Ten DFW-based nonprofit organizations received grants from the Mavs Foundation. The Mavericks will wrap up their road trip against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Central.