Dinwiddie Leads Mavs in Loss to Magic; Doncic's 30-Point Streak Snapped
The Dallas Mavericks hit a wall in the second half of Wednesday night's matchup with the Orlando Magic and ultimately lost the game, 94-87. The Mavs fell to 6-4 on the season while the Magic improved to 3-9.
The Mavericks avoided a slow start, getting out to a 28-24 lead at the end of the first quarter as Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 20 points in the first 12 minutes. The backcourt duo added to their total in the second quarter, as Dallas led Orlando 54-50 at halftime. Luka scored 17 first-half points as Dinwiddie added 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
In the second half, the Magic just never went away as the Mavericks hit a bit of a shooting slump in the third quarter. That slump was led by Doncic who couldn't seem to get the ball through the hoop from outside.
In the fourth, it was Dinwiddie who continued to put the ball in the bucket for Dallas to keep them alive, but the Mavs just couldn't keep up with Orlando's timely buckets down the stretch.
A season-best game from Spencer Dinwiddie went to waste for the Mavericks, as he with a season-high 29 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 9-19 shooting. Dinwiddie getting off to a quick start and sustaining that throughout the night was huge for him and the Mavericks after he struggled on Monday against the Nets.
Luka finished with 24 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks on just 9-29 shooting as his 30-point game streak to start the season came to an end.
However, wasn't just Doncic who struggled from the field. Reggie Bullock shot 0-3 from the downtown and Tim Hardaway Jr. shot just 2-10 from the field as the Mavericks sorely missed Christian Wood's scoring off the bench. Wood didn't make the road trip due to a left knee sprain.
An issue for the Mavericks on Wednesday night was rebounding and defending the paint, as the lengthy Magic out-rebounded the Mavericks 49-29 and scored 50 points in the paint. The likes of Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Bol Bol, and Mo Bamba were able to get on the glass and score at will down low, showcasing a lack of size for Dallas.
Despite the loss, the Mavericks' defense did a great job of forcing turnovers. The young Orlando team gave the ball up 18 times to Dallas' four, as the Mavs were active in the passing lanes, deflecting balls and forcing arrant passes.
The Mavericks will look to bounce back on Thursday night as they travel to Washington to take on old pal Kristaps Porzingis and the Washington Wizards at 6 p.m. CT.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.
