Magic Start Sharp, But Sloppy Second Half Leads to Loss vs. Mavericks

The Orlando Magic couldn't hold a big lead against the Dallas Mavericks.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 29, 2024

Magic Start Sharp, But Sloppy Second Half Leads to Loss vs. Mavericks /

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic are scratching their heads after a 131-129 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night at the American Airlines Center.

Once again, the Magic found themselves in a close game down the stretch. With 3.6 seconds left to play, Dallas was up three points and chose to intentionally foul Paolo Banchero. After making the first free throw, Banchero missed the second and Franz Wagner grabbed the rebound. He was able to shoot a long 3-pointer, but ultimately couldn't find the bottom of the net.

Paolo Banchero Luka Doncic Mavericks — Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The close finish was not representative of the beginning of the game, where the Magic were red hot. Orlando took their strong finish from Sunday's win against the Phoenix Suns and kept their momentum in the first half, scoring 78 points in the first two quarters.

The Magic led by as much as 16 points thanks to strong shooting performances from Banchero and rookie Anthony Black. Banchero dropped a team-high 36 while Black scored 20 off the bench.

However, the Mavs came storming back in the third quarter, completely erasing the Magic's lead. Luka Doncic led the charge, scoring 12 of his game-high 45 points in the frame.

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This is familiar territory for the Magic. The team has struggled with leads throughout the year, and it's part of growing as a young squad. But with the playoffs on the line as the season goes on, these blown leads only grow in terms of severity.

The Magic hopes to get back in the win column on Wednesday night when they visit Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

Published Jan 29, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.