The Dallas Mavericks continued their East Coast road trip on Thursday night against the Orlando Magic as they look to make the Play-In Tournament. But Orlando entered the game having won three straight, and while Anthony Davis returned to action, he was still limited. Dallas started their 42nd different lineup of the season with Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Anthony Davis, and Kai Jones, while Orlando started Cory Joseph, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr.
Klay Thompson made Dallas' first shot, and that would be the only basket the teams would make for the first three and a half minutes. Cory Joseph finally got Orlando on the board with a three, but through nearly the first five minutes of the game, the teams were a combined 2/17 from the floor. The offenses got going after Naji Marshall got a basket to go. Anthony Davis finally got on the board near the end of the quarter after missing his first five shots, but the play of the quarter belonged to Kai Jones. He swatted a shot on defense and then ran down the floor for the athletic lob finish. Unfortunately, he'd come down hard on his back on the landing and would have to leave the game. Max Christie had seven points in the quarter as the Mavs took a 19-17 lead into the second quarter.
Orlando started the second on an 8-1 run as Anthony Black and Paolo Banchero split those buckets. They eventually went up by seven before Caleb Martin hit a few shots for the Mavs to get them back within a point. Naji Marshall tied the game at 37 with a tough finish in transition, and an Anthony Davis and-one gave them the lead on their next offensive sequence. Fouls were becoming an issue for the Magic, as Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. each had three fouls before halftime. But Banchero stayed in the game to retake the lead before the half, and a bad close by the Mavs had them trailing 50-43 heading into the locker room.
Anthony Davis came out of the locker room in an attacking mindset to help tie the game at 50, taking advantage of Orlando's two frontcourt starters being in foul trouble. But a 9-2 Orlando run put them right back out in front. They continued to build on that lead, turning a missed lob by Dwight Powell into two free throws for Paolo Banchero, and took an 11-point lead after he missed both, got his own rebound, and slammed it home. But Dallas came right back with a 17-0 run as Jaden Hardy hit three three-pointers and Brandon Williams hit a few shots. Anthony Davis would end the quarter making a three, and the Mavs took a 77-70 lead into the fourth.
Jaden Hardy continued his offensive heater into the fourth quarter, and then Brandon Williams built the lead to eight on a nice defensive play to poke it away and finish with a tough layup in transition, the largest lead of the game for Dallas. The Mavs grew the lead even further after a timeout, as Klay Thompson somehow sprung free for a wide-open three to make it a 12-point lead. Orlando got the lead down to six, but Jaden Hardy put the game on ice with a shot that hit the rim three or four times and fell in. The Magic had multiple open shots on their next sequence but couldn't get any to fall. And the Mavs would be able to go on to win from there, 101-92.
Dallas dominated this game from the three-point line, shooting 11/23 (47.8%) from deep while Orlando was just 5/30 (16.7%). Jaden Hardy led the Mavericks with 22 points behind a scorching 5/6 performance from three. He was very easily the difference-maker in this game. Anthony Davis contributed 15 points and 7 rebounds, while Brandon Williams added 14 points. Klay Thompson and Max Christie each chipped in 12 points. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero had a strong game with 35 points on 13/21 shooting, but the help around him was limited. Franz Wagner added 20 points, Anthony Black had 14, and Wendell Carter Jr. scored 12, but the rest of the team had just 11 points on 3/18 shooting.
The Mavericks will conclude their road trip against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, March 29, 2025. With this win, Dallas improved to 36-36 on the season, keeping their hopes alive for a Play-In Tournament spot.
