The Orlando Magic
face the Dallas Mavericks on the road tonight, and it will be Orlando’s best chance to record a win for quite some time.
The Orlando Magic sit 16 games below .500, so no game they play in the near future can be called critical. Still, they should circle their game tonight against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.
It’ll tip off a three-game road trip — and it also will be Orlando’s best chance to record a win for a while.
At 13-28, Dallas is one of the few NBA teams with a record comparable to Orlando’s.
“We definitely need to get this one under our belt so we have some momentum going into the next three games,” Magic forward Aaron Gordon said.
In fact, the five games following tonight should worry the Magic.
From Wednesday through Jan. 21, the Magic will play the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards on the road, followed by a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by road games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Combined, those five teams had won 64 percent of their games through Sunday.
The Mavericks shouldn’t be pushovers despite their rough season so far.
The Mavs are 5-5 over their last 10 games and haven’t lost to the Magic in Dallas since Jan. 8, 2011.
“They’re shooting a ton of 3s,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said. “Obviously, they’re very well-coached. They move the basketball and they work hard defensively. So they’re playing well.
True, the Mavs have lost their last three games, falling at home to the Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. But the Mavs lost those games by a combined 10 points.
Orlando will be shorthanded.
Forward Jonathan Isaac, swingman Terrence Ross and center Nikola Vucevic won’t play because of injuries, and team officials have listed swingman Jonathon Simmons as questionable to play.
Simmons sat out the Magic’s 131-127 loss Saturday to the Cavaliers because of back spasms.
The Magic and the Mavs faced each other twice during the preseason.
“They play hard,” Orlando swingman Evan Fournier said.
“They have good players. And winning on the road is always hard. So a tough matchup, for sure.”
Wednesday’s game should be tougher.
The Magic will be on the second night of a back-toback when they face the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Hezonja improving
One of the few bright spots the Magic can cling to is the growth of their young players, including Gordon, Wes Iwundu and Mario Hezonja.
Hezonja, in particular, has played better lately.
Opponents still try to exploit him when he plays defense, but Hezonja is looking more sure of himself now that he’s received some consistent playing time.
Over the Magic’s last five games, Hezonja averaged 8.8 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the field.
Hezonja scored 16 points and gathered 10 rebounds in Saturday’s loss to the Cavaliers, recording the first double-double of his career.
“He’s really coming along,” Vogel said. “I’m happy for the kid. He’s doing a lot of good things. He could still improve on the defensive end, but he’s making a lot of strides.
“The game’s really slowing down for him on the offensive end. When you get consistent minutes, you can find a little bit of a better rhythm from the 3-point line.
“When he puts the ball on the floor, I’m not in as much panic as I used to be. He’s under control. When he plays under control, he’s got great length and great ability to make extra passes. He’s doing a good job with his decision-making. So he’s really come along. I’m pleased with his development.”