Doncic leads Mavericks past Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. – Luka Doncic had 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Kristaps Porzingis played a nearly flawless second half and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Orlando Magic 130124 on Monday night.
Jalen Brunson scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half as the Mavericks broke open a close game. Dallas has won four of its last five and nine of 12.
“We played great team basketball and that’s always satisfying,” said Doncic, who made 12 of 22 shots and five 3-pointers.
Nikola Vucevic had 29 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Magic, who dropped their fourth straight.
The Mavs shot 52.2% from the floor and made 17 of 46 3-point attempts. They improved to 13-4 when leading at the half and 5-1 when shooting better than 50%.
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was impressed by the display of behind-the-back and no-look passing from Doncic, who turned 22 on Sunday.
“You’re constantly talking to players about not jumping in the air and
trying to make decisions, but this guy defies a lot of logic when it comes to conventional coaching theories and that’s why we give him the ball and let him go,” Carlisle said. “He just does some amazing things.”
Porzingis missed his final eight shots of the first half, but responded after halftime by making four straight shots, two 3-pointers and four free throws. He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Dallas had a 50-37 edge in bench scoring and a 13-2 advantage in second-chance points.
“I really loved the way we played overall because the ball moved in a wonderful fashion,” Carlisle said. “We mixed in individual attacks with team ball movement.”
Orlando briefly tied the game early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by
Evan Fournier, but the guard left the floor for several minutes after aggravating groin and back injuries that have bothered him all season. Dallas took advantage and pushed its lead to as much as 13 points in the period.
Fournier finished with 26 points, 18 of those in the first half. Terrence Ross added 18 points for the Magic, while Michael Carter-Williams had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
TIP INS
Mavericks: Doncic led Dallas in points, rebounds and assists for the 11th time this season. He’s already done that 46 times in 2 1/2 seasons, well ahead of the 38 times Dirk Nowitzki did it in 21 seasons with the franchise.
Magic: Clifford said forward Aaron Gordon – who has been out since Jan. 31 when he severely sprained his left ankle – has returned to some on-court work, but there is still no timetable for his return.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Magic: Host Atlanta on Wednesday night.