Dallas (54-18) at Orlando (28-44) 7:00 pm EST
ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- The Dallas Mavericks hope to avoid
their longest losing streak of the season when they visit the
resilient Orlando Magic.
The Mavericks are coming off of back-to-back losses for just the
second time this season and have not lost three in row during
the campaign.
Dallas, which has lost four of its last six games, is two games
behind San Antonio for both the best record in the Southwest
Division and Western Conference.
After winning the opener of their four-game road trip against
Atlanta, the Mavericks dropped Tuesday's contest against Detroit
and Wednesday's 107-94 decision to Cleveland, which secured
its first playoff berth since 1998 with the win.
All-Star Dirk Nowitzki has not faltered during Dallas' slump as
he scored 29 points against the Cavaliers and is averaging
nearly 33 in his last six contests.
Despite having their four-game winning streak halted Wednesday
with a 103-91 loss at Minnesota, the Magic have not given up on
their season even though they have no realistic playoff
aspirations.
Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 points apiece to lead
six players in double figures for Orlando, which has won its
last six home contests.
The Mavericks won the first meeting against the Magic, 109-103,
in overtime December 16.





