Mavs' Preseason Loss Against Magic: 5 Big Observations

The Dallas Mavericks lost their preseason home opener against the Orlando Magic on Friday. Here are some key observations.

The Dallas Mavericks (1-1) came up short in the end in their 110-105 preseason loss to the Orlando Magic (2-1) on Friday. 

Luka Doncic, along with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber, made their preseason debut for the Mavs after sitting out of Wednesday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Tulsa due to rest. JaVale McGee also didn't play against the Thunder, but returned to the lineup after dealing with a sore ankle. 

Jaden Hardy earned the start after a 21-point outing against the Thunder as a way to test how he'd handle it. The rest of the Mavs' starters did not play after halftime. 

Here are some major observations from the Mavs' preseason loss against the Magic.

Tim Hardaway Jr. Returns from Injury

After recovering from a foot injury that kept him sidelined since Jan. 25, Tim Hardaway Jr. made his return to the NBA action for the first time. He played 15 minutes off the bench and finished with eight points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Hardaway Jr. had a tough time with getting his 3-point attempts to drop as he finished 1-5 (20.0 percent) on the night. However, it's expected for him to be rusty as he works his way back after having such a long time being away from playing.

“I feel great," Hardaway said at media day. "I had an awesome summer. I was able to get back to doing what I love the most. I was very happy with the surgery, very happy with the rehab process and also very happy I was able to support my guys while I was out.

“I just embraced all that going into the summer and now I’m 100 percent healthy, ready to go.”

The expectation for Hardaway is that he will be instrumental in filling the void left behind by Brunson's free agency departure. For a bench unit that doesn't have a lot of creation threats on the perimeter, his motion shooting ability and willingness to take pull-up jumpers will be vital. 

“I do think they are getting a different player,” Hardaway said on media day. “I only played a handful of games last year. All I can say is I’m excited to go out and compete and give my all.

“JB, what he brought to this team was amazing. He had an incredible run and a well-deserved contract out of New York. I wish him the best. But I don’t think it changes anything here. I got to go out and compete and bring the energy at both ends of the floor.”

Luka Doncic Is Ready for MVP Caliber Season

In his preseason debut, Luka Doncic finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and five assists in only 18 minutes of play. He scored or assisted 22 of the Mavs’ first 29 points tonight. 

It felt almost immediately after the opening tipoff that Doncic took control of the game. He scored 10 of his 16 points within the initial 3.5 minutes of action. He was knocking down step-back 3s, getting what he wanted in the paint, and making wild passes to teammates. He made some defensive plays, too. 

“Oh he’s the MVP tonight, he looked great," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "You know, being able to go the full quarter there in the first, being able to control the game, he can get to the basket, he can shoot the 3. I thought he did great on both ends of the floor.”

Many expect Doncic to be an MVP favorite in 2022-23. While this game is obviously just preseason and the stakes aren't nearly as high as the regular season, he looks more than ready to make a big impact from the start after playing EuroBasket 2022. 

“He is coming from the tournament overseas so he’s already in midseason form right now," Magic guard Terrence Ross said. "You can just tell he’s comfortable. He’s going to be a problem for a lot of the guys in the Western Conference. That's going to be crazy to see. What he did in the 20 minutes he was out there was high level. He’s going to be fun to watch.” 

Christian Wood's Mavs Fit Looks Seamless

In Christian Wood's preseason debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was facing a team that essentially didn't have a real center on the roster. He finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 7-13 (61.5 percent) from the floor and showed off perimeter shooting and interior scoring ability. 

Against this Magic team, which teams features a combination of Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero, Mo Bamba, and Bol Bol in the frontcourt, Wood got the job done at an even higher level. He scored a team-high 23 points and did so while shooting 8-12 (75.0 percent) overall and 3-6 (50.0 percent) from deep.

With an elite pick-and-roll creator like Doncic against the Magic, Wood essentially added finishing impact as the roll man on top of what he achieved against the Thunder. He was making tough plays as a post scorer and as a 3-point shooter in addition. 

“I mean, the first game I think I struggled to find my rhythm early on, but the guards got me looks, Coach Kidd ran a few plays for me in the post," Wood said. "The second game, I mean, Luka Doncic. He’s easy to play with, I had a couple easy slips to the rim because of the way they play him. So it’s not like really you gotta get hit on the screens, kinda slip out, and the two (guard) is going to come out for a two-on-one and he’s going to find you every time." 

It's very clear that Wood's offensive skill-set will be maximized playing alongside Doncic, as expected after the trade. Wood has a dynamic perimeter game for a big man in addition to being a real post-up and isolation scoring threat. He can put it on the floor to make aggressive plays in general, which was something that Kristaps Porzingis struggled to achieve.

Anytime Wood has been asked about coming off the bench as opposed to starting, he's been adamant that he's embracing his role and isn't worried about it. He shared that same sentiment after his second preseason performance. 

“I’m just embracing it. I could pout about it, I could do a whole bunch of different things and pout, and do all the extra stuff, but I’m just here to try to win games, and that’s what I care about the most. So I’m just coming into the game and playing 110%.”

Having a player like Wood who can be the focus of the offense when Doncic is on the sidelines while being a great complement to Doncic when they share the floor is all the Mavs sought from Porzinigs. Wood seems to be capable of achieving it. 

“It looks like he has been here for a while," Kidd said. "He can score the ball and he has given us something we haven't had when you look at Maxi [Kleber] being able to shoot the 3 now we can see him post up and play at a post with him. 

"Defensively, he’s learning the system and I think he is doing a great job just in the short time that he’s been here. He can score the ball, but then on the other side, he’s talking and trying to get used to the defensive schemes that we have taught guys before him and he’s catching on. He’s going to be fine, but he does give us something besides Luka in the post. We can go to him and post too.”

Rookie Jaden Hardy Got the Start

The Mavs decided to start Jaden Hardy in this game to see how he'd handle the responsibility. He was coming off an impressive outing against the Thunder in what featured him scoring 16 of the team's final 22 points to achieve the win.

“It shows the work that (Hardy has) put in since summer league,” Kidd said. “He spends a lot of time in the gym.

“He’s coming back at night, he’s working — not just on the floor — but watching video. He wants to be good, he wants to play, he wants to participate, and again you can see that in tonight’s game.”

Hardy's shot wasn't falling in his first outing at the American Airlines Center like it was late in Tulsa. He finished with only six points on 2-10 (20.0 percent) from the floor and 1-5 (20.0 percent) from deep. There were quite a few 'close but not quite' type of shots in terms of rim outs, but regardless, he didn't shoot well. 

Given the catch-and-shoot ability that Hardy possesses, it was intriguing to see him play alongside Doncic. He received plenty of clean looks but just couldn't quite convert more often than not. It was clear how clean of a fit both players are long-term, though.

Hardy showed at times that improving as a pick-and-roll ball handler remains a need. He snake dribbled right into a long defender that blocked a right-hand floater in the paint while also turning it over after pre-determining a pass to the roll man despite the low defender tagging the roller.

Must Sustain Execution After Hot Start

Despite coming out of the gate firing on all cylinders, the Mavs went from having a 33-15 lead after one quarter to giving up a staggering 40 points in the second quarter. It'll be important to not let up in the regular season. 

The Mavs were largely outdone in the second quarter by the Magic's ability to get to the free throw line. Orlando shot 13-15 (86.7 percent) from the line while Dallas was 3-6 (50.0 percent). The Mavs actually made more shots from deep within the frame as they had six to the Magic's five.

“We talked before the game, making the pass, sharing the ball, I think that group did that at a very high level and defensively," Kidd said. "Again, the carryover from practice or training camp and last year, that group is understanding of what we are asking them to do. I thought they did it at a high level there in that first half, well first quarter really, and once we got the lead we kind of shut our engines down. So we have to get better and understand that that’s going to happen during the season and we have to learn from that.”

The Mavs had a tougher time getting into the paint in the second quarter, too. There was a major boost in the Magic's energy levels defensively, especially when attempting to guard Doncic. There were more late shot clock "time bomb" shots and general mistakes.