Kristaps Porzingis Out of COVID - But In Lineup? Mavs GAMEDAY vs. Magic
Coming off the heels of Friday night's victory over the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies, the Dallas Mavericks face the rebuilding Orlando Magic, led by former Mavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley.
Kristaps Porzingis and head coach Jason Kidd have exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols and are expected to at least be with the team tonight. Porzingis is expected to start for the Mavs tonight.
Building off the Grizzlies' matchup, Luka Doncic silenced the doubters as he posted another triple-double in the victory over the surging star Ja Morant. It was the 40th triple-double of Doncic’s career.
Will Dallas win it’s second-consecutive game tonight while taking on the lowly Magic on the second night of a back-to-back, or will the Mavericks play down to their competition, defusing the momentum gained from their victory over the Grizzlies?
FUN FACT: The Mavs have won seven of their last eight games, holding opponents to just 93.9 points per game. Orlando is 28th in the league in scoring this season and has lost five of its last six games vs. Dallas.
FLASHBACK: The Mavericks defeated the Magic 130-124 in a high-scoring bout on March 1, 2021. Doncic led both teams with 33 points and nine assists.
INJURY REPORT: Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons) is out
RECORDS: (Orlando Magic 8-35) at Dallas Mavericks (23-19)
WHEN: Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 8:30 p.m. CT
TV/RADIO: BSSW and 97.1 The Eagle
ODDS: The Mavericks are 10.5 point favorites over the Magic.
NEXT: The Mavericks play the Oklahoma City Thunder at the AAC on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Last Word: Playing down to competition will only hurt the Mavs' chances of obtaining home court advantage in the postseason this year, so they must take care of business tonight.
“Overall, a great job,” said Sean Sweeney, after the big win in Memphis. “And I thought the team rebounding and the team defense was excellent, to go with the way we played with tempo and pace offensively.”
Let’s see if it carries over to tonight.
