Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Clutch in Dallas Mavs' Back-to-Back Win vs. Orlando Magic

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving helped to lead the Mavs to a victory over the Magic on the second night of a back-to-back.

ORLANDO — On the second night of a back-to-back, the Dallas Mavericks won against the Orlando Magic, erasing a 15-point deficit to win 117-102. The Mavs improved to 6-1 on the season after achieving their second 15-point comeback win in as many nights.

Before the game, Luka Doncic (quad) and Kyrie Irving (foot) were both listed as questionable to play. Given the tendency for NBA teams to rest key players on the second night of a back-to-back, both players were commended for setting the tone as leaders by playing.

“It’s game six. I don’t know if you’re tired yet," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "I think it could be easy where Luka (Doncic) or Kai (Kyrie Irving) could take the night off because it’s a back-to-back, but those are our leaders.

"Those guys went out there and played at a high level, and I thought the rest of the team did the same. But we’re just taking it one game at a time. We had a back-to-back. Everyone played, everyone participated. Put us in a position to win, so now we’ve got a day off to regroup. ... We're just going to take it one game at a time."

The Mavs held an advantage early on, with the Magic favoring paint protection to prevent Doncic and Irving from getting to the rim; it was a struggle to operate in the half-court. Neither player converted at a high clip on their typical tough shotmaking sequences, and the team turned it over uncharacteristically. 

A few early steals leading to scoring chances created by the Mavs' superstars created an 11-8 lead midway through the period. Dallas went on to be outscored by a 25-16 margin for the remainder of the first quarter, resulting in a 33-27 deficit. 

After Caleb Houston converted on an open 3-pointer at the 10:31 mark of the second quarter, the Magic extended its lead to 43-29 — their largest lead, which ultimately reached 15 at one point. In addition to being comfortably outscored in paint scoring with various defensive breakdowns, the Mavs repeatedly gave up open 3-point attempts, proving to be a limiting combination. 

With Jaden Hardy and Kyrie Irving leading a plug-and-play lineup on a run with downhill attacks, the Mavs had trimmed the Magic's advantage to 53-47 with 4:10 remaining in the second quarter — the closest they came in the period. Orlando closed the half strong, outscoring Dallas by a 13-6 margin to lead 66-53 at the half.

Entering the game, the Mavs had been one of the least effective teams in the first half of play on the season, being outscored by a combined 28-point margin (25th). Having a -13 point differential only worsened what has been an early-season trend. The scoring differential following this game put them at -41, ranking 26th in the NBA.

"It wasn't a big halftime speech. I think we've been able to grow over these last few games, know what we need to fix and hold each other accountable and move forward," Irving said. "We've been down at halftime a few games over the last stretch, so I think we just really wanted to make an emphasis on our effort and not make any excuses for us."

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic pulling up for a jumper against the Orlando Magic / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The Mavs began the second half on an 8-0 run to cut the Magic's lead to just five, but Orlando initially withstood the surge. However, after heating up from beyond the arc with makes from Irving and Hardaway, Dallas came within striking distance. A made finish in transition from Josh Green pushed the Mavs into the lead (77-76) with 2:48 to play in the third quarter, putting Dallas ahead for the first time since the opening period. 

Both teams traded made baskets down the stretch of the third quarter in a lineup that featured Irving leading the bench group. The Mavs finished with an 86-83 edge, which lasted through the remainder of the game. Dereck Lively II dealt with foul trouble for much of the game, causing the Mavs to go small with Derrick Jones Jr. at the five in addition to having lineups with Powell in that spot. 

"Again, in that second half when you look at the turnovers in that first half, we had some careless turnovers," Kidd said. "We knew if we could just take care of the ball we were going to get looks. But again, I think that third quarter we came out on both ends. And I think our defense set the tone for us on the offensive end tonight.”

Like their approach down the stretch against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, the Mavs frequently played out of double-drag screening actions with Doncic attacking in the fourth quarter. A step-back 3-pointer from the Slovenian superstar pushed Dallas up 95-88 during the earlier stage of the fourth quarter, establishing the team's most significant lead to that point.

The Magic had become aggressive by sending blitzes at Doncic in ball screen coverage to force the ball out of his hands. Initially, the Mavs settled into playing the 4-on-3 game by Doncic hitting the short roller but sprinkled in using Irving as a screener for Doncic in the two-man game, resulting in an and-one for Irving after attacking out of triple-threat.  

“Because we have preseason together. We can practice together, so it is a lot easier than coming here and not having any practice and just getting into the games," Doncic said of playing in the clutch with Irving. "Sometimes they are going to double him, and sometimes they are going to double me, and we just keep everybody up, and me or him is going to make a play.”

The Mavs achieved a double-figure lead with around three minutes remaining in regulation after having Doncic screen for Irving in the two-man game, creating a mismatch against Cole Anthony. Doncic attacked downhill to get to the free throw line and converted on both attempts. 

With Irving first converting on a 3-point attempt after spacing from the wing, Doncic followed up with a make of his own, then made a technical free throw. Dallas extended its edge over the Magic to 115-100, setting a new game-high mark for the team's most significant scoring differential of the night with under two minutes to play overall. Doncic and Irving scored the team's final 13 points to close it out. 

Despite a struggling performance in the first half, the Mavs continued to excel in the second half as they have all season. Following this game, they have outscored opponents by a +87 margin after outscoring the Magic by 28 after the break, which leads the NBA by 27. 

Doncic had another impressive statistical performance, finishing with 29 points, three rebounds, and six assists. He was joined by Irving and Hardaway as Mavs players to reach the 20-point threshold as they each had 21 points. Irving added seven rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. 

As a team, the Mavs shot 15-40 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range, with Doncic accounting for a third of those makes. Hardaway converted four by himself, while Grant Williams, who scored 13 points, had a pair of made 3s, too. Lively still added 10 points and five rebounds despite being limited to 16 minutes.

There were a variety of standout performers for the Magic, beginning with Paolo Banchero's 22 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Cole Anthony and Mo Wagner both added 19 points, wile Franz Wagner finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists on the night. 

The Mavs return to action on Wednesday when they take on the Toronto Raptors, beginning a two-game homestand at American Airlines Center.