Mavericks-Magic Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Mar 30 2012 12:54AM

The Orlando Magic have lacked consistency over the last two weeks, experiencing blowout losses that are becoming all too familiar.

The Dallas Mavericks know the feeling.

Orlando seeks to avoid a sixth straight home loss to Dallas on Friday night in a matchup of teams coming off lopsided defeats.

The Magic (32-19) scored a season-high 117 points in a win over Toronto on Monday, but they followed with a 108-86 loss at New York on Wednesday that snapped their three-game winning streak.

Orlando has split its last eight games - all decided by double digits - with the four defeats coming by an average of 17.3 points.

It's been a similar story lately for Dallas (29-23), dropping three of its past five games with each loss coming by at least 16 points. The Mavericks fell 106-85 in Miami on Thursday and now make the short trip to Orlando looking to keep Dwight Howard in check, just as the Knicks did Wednesday.

Howard scored 12 points - his fewest in a game since the All-Star break - and his five rebounds were one off a season low.

He said the Magic can't pick and choose when they want to play hard if they plan to make a postseason run.

"It's the same thing I've been telling the guys: Our effort has to be consistent," Howard said. "If we want to win a championship every guy has to buy in to playing the right way every night. If we don't do that we're going to be sitting at home early (during the playoffs)."

Coach Stan Van Gundy also has been perplexed by the up-and-down performances given Orlando is in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Magic have scored fewer than 70 points four times, including a franchise-low 56 in a loss to Boston on Jan. 23 and most recently in an 85-59 defeat to Chicago on March 19.

"What is shocking to me is a team that is playing over .600 basketball can get absolutely rocked as many times as we have been - Boston, New Orleans (a 93-67 loss Jan. 27), Chicago and (Wednesday). That's what's mind-boggling to me," Van Gundy told the team's official website. "It will happen some if you are a bad team. But to be a .600 team and get crushed like that as many times as we have, that's shocking."

The Magic have lost five in a row at home to Dallas, with four coming by at least nine points. The exception was a 105-99 defeat Dec. 21, 2010, in the most recent meeting in Orlando.

The Mavericks, though, have lost nine of 11 away from home and have given up an average of 104.2 points over their last six road games. They're among the league leaders in points allowed at 93.3 per game.

Dallas was outscored 26-13 in the fourth quarter Thursday as Dirk Nowitzki missed all five of his field-goal attempts. Nowitzki, though, scored a game-high 25 points and is averaging 25.9 over his last nine games.

"We got some good looks, got some rolls, had everything going," Nowitzki said. "Then they really picked up their pressure and we didn't have many good looks."

An injured Nowitzki missed the last meeting as Orlando won 117-107 on Jan. 8, 2011, behind Howard's 23 points and 13 rebounds. Howard is averaging 30.0 points and 16.7 boards in his last three home games in the series.

Nowitzki jumper leads Mavericks past Magic, 100-98

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Mar 31 2012 2:01AM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) There's something about playing on Orlando's floor lately that seems to bring out the best in the Dallas Mavericks.

Dirk Nowitzki banked in a 15-foot jumper over Hedo Turkoglu with 5.9 seconds as Dallas overcame a 15-point deficit to beat the Magic 100-98 on Friday night. It was the Mavericks' sixth straight victory in Orlando.

Dallas improved to just 2-19 this season when trailing entering the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks rallied in the final period, aided by a plethora of turnovers and missed shots by the Magic. Jason Terry had 10 points in the quarter and 17 in the game. Delonte West and Shawn Marion each added 15.

"We almost looked down a little bit," Nowitzki said. "Guys were putting their heads down. But we're a too good for that. We have to keep competing. I'm proud of the guys. D-West really changed the momentum of the game. And Jet (Terry) getting hot in there. Guys just battling for each other. That's what we've got to do."

Orlando shot 11 for 32 on 3-pointers, but had 16 turnovers, which led to 20 points for the Mavericks. Eight of those giveaways came in the final 14 minutes of the game and just after the Magic had taken their largest lead.

"Watching Orlando all year long we know that they're a team that has relinquished a lot of leads ... just the way they play," Terry said. "They're either going inside or they're shooting 3's. You live by the 3 or you die by it."

Jameer Nelson scored 24 points to lead Orlando. Ryan Anderson added 21, and Dwight Howard finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

The Magic had two chances to tie or win the game possession, but Turkoglu missed a jumper from the wing and Anderson's tip-in trickled off the back of the rim as time expired.

Orlando led by just seven entering the final period before the Mavericks, sparked by a surging Terry, tied it at 89 with 5:58 to play in the game.

The Magic helped Dallas get back into the game committing six of their 16 turnovers in the period.

Things got heated down the stretch as Nowitzki and Anderson went right at each other.

Anderson was called for a blocking foul guarding Nowitzki that drew the ire of Magic fans with 4 minutes left. But he gave Orlando a small cushion on the other end with an offensive rebound and put back to make it 95-91.

Dallas wasn't done, though.

A 3-pointer by West brought them to 97-96 and after a foul by Anderson, West's two free throws put the Mavericks on top.

A missed jumper by Nowitzki put the ball in Nelson's hands, and he was fouled going in for a layup on the other end. He only connected on one of his two ensuing free throws, though, giving the Mavericks their final shot with 25.1 remaining.

Howard seemed to lament the Magic's shot selection in the closing minutes.

"They did what they were supposed to do in the fourth quarter," Howard said. "They got a good shot every time. You don't have to be a championship caliber team to do that. You just have to understand that when you come down in the fourth quarter, you've got to get a good shot."

Brendan Haywood returned to the starting lineup after missing seven games with a right knee sprain and played 26 minutes. He only had five points, buts frustrated Howard throughout that time. Howard also was unable to capitalize on his trips to the free-throw line, going just 7 for 16. The Magic were 17 for 28 as a team.

The Magic were the more active team offensively early in the first half, taking their biggest lead at 32-19 in the opening minutes of the second quarter.

A 12-0 Mavericks run that featured seven points by Nowitzki got it down to a point before the Magic found their footing again and took it back up to double-digits. Orlando would up taking a nine-point edge into the locker room.

Nowitzki led all scorers with 18 in the half. Anderson topped the Magic with 12 points.

Mavericks' coach Rick Carlisle said the lasting feeling from Friday was the toughness team showed.

"We hung in there," Carlisle said. "We were down 15 and just chipped away. We showed a lot of fortitude, a lot of grit and lot of togetherness. We had some people step up."

Was it a championship-caliber performance?

"We've got work to do. We have lofty goals, but we've got 13 games to go and we've got a lot of improvement left," he said.

NOTES: With Louisville and Kentucky set to meet in the Final Four on Saturday, Magic F Earl Cark, a former Cardinals standout, said he has full confidence in his underdog alma mater. But he didn't make any prop bets with teammates and former Wildcats Daniel Orton and DeAndre Liggins. "Nope. Straight cash," Clark said. ... Dallas coach Rick Carlisle received a technical foul in the second quarter. ... Band members from the Red Hot Chili Peppers sat courtside. They have concert at Amway Center on Saturday.

Notebook: Mavericks 100, Magic 98

Posted Saturday March 31, 2012 12:42AM

By Dick Scanlon, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Dirk Nowitzki's 28 points included a 15-foot game-winning shot with 5.9 seconds left in the Dallas Mavericks' 100-98 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Jason Terry and Delonte West came off the Dallas bench to combine for 32 points (17 in the fourth quarter), plus nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 24 points. Ryan Anderson added 21 points, but missed a layup at the final horn.

The Magic led by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter.

QUOTABLE: "We had a chance to tie it and I blew it. Ultimately, we need to play the whole game. We've been talking about that the whole season practically, just playing a whole 48 minutes. They made a great run and we didn't have answers during that time."
-- Anderson

THE STAT: After 34 minutes the Magic had committed eight turnovers and had a 14-point lead. In the final 14 minutes they had eight more turnovers and the lead evaporated.

TURNING POINT: Hedo Turkoglu drove for a dunk that would have put the Magic up by three with 1:12 left, but Ian Mahinmi blocked it and West got the rebound.

QUOTABLE II: "You block and go down and score, that was huge. There was not one play in the last six minutes that was not a huge play. That's the kind of game it was."
-- Dallas coach Rick Carlisle

HOT: After a broken finger limited him to a total of eight minutes in the preceding 22 games, West scored 15 points in 24 minutes for the Mavericks. "His energy, his toughness has been something we've missed. He came to play tonight and we needed him," said Terry.

NOT: J.J. Redick missed all six of his shots, including five 3-pointers, and committed three turnovers.

GOOD MOVE: The Mavericks put Dwight Howard at the free throw line 16 times. He provided nine misses, which stood out big in a two-point loss.

NOTABLE: After missing six games with a knee injury, Dallas center Brendan Haywood started and played almost 26 minutes . . . The Mavericks have won six straight times in Orlando and the Magic have won their last two in Dallas.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers, Wednesday vs. Memphis, Friday vs. Portland. For the Magic, Sunday vs. Denver, Tuesday @ Detroit, Thursday vs. New York.

• Mavericks: Azubuike, Jones
• Magic: Harper, Wafer

• Mavericks: Carlisle
• Magic: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #27 Dick Bavetta, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 18951
• Duration: 2:29