Mavs Cough It Up, Lose at Lowly Orlando Magic
Name an obstacle and the Dallas Mavericks have dealt with it. As that fact applies to going against the Orlando Magic on Sunday at the Amway Center?
A second night of a back-to-back on the road.
The emotional hangover of a Saturday AAC win over the Pacers, coached by former Dallas boss Rick Carlisle.
The continued health roller-coaster of Kristaps Porzingis.
But not a Mavericks obstacle? Logic said the lowly Magic, until Dallas was victimized here in a 110-108 embarrassment in which they spend the night behind, coughed up errors late, and had no support to young superstar Luka Doncic.
Doncic (34 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) was good for his seventh triple-double of the year, reminding an NBA world that didn’t vote him a first-team of what Carlisle said the night before.
“He ,” said Carlisle, "is as difficult a player to game-plan for as there is in the NBA. He’s just so good at so many things that it’s just, you just got to try to figure out what you’re willing to live with, and he’s still going to hurt you in multiple ways.''
But Orlando did some hurting here, too.
The Mavs failed to reach the 30-win mark (29-22) while continuing to cling to hopes of top-four seeding in the Western Conference.
They didn’t do anything easy here.
The Mavs, having spend most of the evening facing a deficit - they trailed 64-59 at the half by giving Orlando a 41-point second quarter - did climb out of a fourth-quarter 10-point hole and turned the tables on Orlando, going up by four with five minutes remaining.
But the Magic made late plays, and for Dallas, Maxi Kleber in particular, botched opportunities.
After the Mavericks crushed his Pacers, 132-105, Carlisle touted his old club, now coached by Jason Kidd, as a legit contender.
Said Rick: “They’ve got an amazing opportunity with a young nucleus that could go on a run for a long time. … Being a small part of that foundation is meaningful to me.”
Countered Kidd: “It’s a great compliment to those guys in the locker room. It lets them know they’re doing the right thing, but we still have a long ways to go.”
"The right thing'' should’ve included manhandling Orlando. But yes, there will be better tests than this one - which should’ve been a sixth consecutive Dallas win over the hapless Magic - to prove that Carlisle right when he said Dallas is "a team that's got a real chance, not only to come out of the West, but they're a good contender."
The Magic have won three of their last four games but remain an Eastern Conference cellar-dweller at 11-40.
Orlando, coached by former Dallas assistant Jamahl Mosley, engineered an upset of a Mavs team that had won 13 of its last 16 games.
At one point in the game, Luka hooted at Mosley that his Magic guys couldn’t guard him. True enough. But Franz Wagner has 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Chuma Okeke had 19 points and four steals off the bench. Wendell Carter Jr. had a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double.
A lot of obstacles, as it turns out, for the Mavs.
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