The Lead
Feeding off the energy from the Amway Center crowd, the Orlando Magic came up with big stops down the stretch in a 110-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. Seven Magic players scored in double figures, including Chuma Okeke, who led the way with a season-best 19 points off the bench.
Clutch Moments
The Magic’s defense a big factor, the Mavs missed their final nine floor shots, including two on their last possession – a Maxi Kleber 3-point attempt and a Reggie Bullock follow-up jumper off Kleber’s miss just before the buzzer. Orlando went ahead with 54 seconds left by way of a Franz Wagner driving layup. Jalen Suggs came up with a steal on Kleber with 17.5 seconds left immediately after Dallas’ big man grabbed a rebound, which led to Wendell Carter Jr. getting fouled and splitting a pair at the free throw line to put the Magic up two.
Key Stats
The Magic scored 14 more points in the paint than the Mavs, 12 more second-chance points, and eight more fast break points. Orlando also kept its fouls down with just 16 of them. The Magic won the bench battle 47-35.
Quote of the Night
“The crowd was big time giving us a boost. We had a couple guys play a bunch of minutes and I think that (crowd energy) really helps when you are a little tired, a little fatigued mentally – to keep going and keep guarding them on the defensive end.” – Franz Wagner, who finished with 18 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal
Injury Report
R.J. Hampton (left knee), Michael Carter-Williams (left ankle), Markelle Fultz (left knee), Jonathan Isaac (left knee), and E’Twaun Moore (left knee sprain) were out for Orlando. Kristaps Porzingis (knee), Tim Hardaway Jr. (foot) and Sterling Brown (foot) were unavailable for Dallas.
This Day in History
Shaquille O’Neal is the only Magic player ever with 30-plus points, 15-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and five-plus blocks in a game. He did it twice, including on Jan. 30, 1996 when he had 30 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in a victory over the Boston Celtics. Penny Hardaway scored 27 points that night. Todd Day led Boston with 26 points, while Rick Fox registered 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Rivals Report
The Mavs have completely changed their identity under Jason Kidd, hired last summer to be the 10th head coach in franchise history. Since Dec. 15, they have the league’s best defensive rating (105.1). Last season, they were 21st in this category and the year before 18th. Conversely, their offense has slipped this year, although they’ve had to play shorthanded quite a bit. Currently, they are 19th in offense. Last year, they were eighth and the season before first.
Up Next
The Magic start a two-game road trip on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. ET. This will be the fourth and final meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first two and the Magic prevailing in their most recent contest on Jan. 23. In that victory, Moe Wagner led seven Orlando players in double figures with 23 points, while his younger brother Franz scored 18. DeMar DeRozan erupted for a season-best 41 points for Chicago.