Dinwiddie Leads Mavs in Loss to Magic; Doncic's 30-Point Streak Snapped

Despite a season-high 29 points from Spencer Dinwiddie, the Mavericks struggled to score down the stretch as the Magic got the 94-87 victory.

The Dallas Mavericks hit a wall in the second half of Wednesday night's matchup with the Orlando Magic and ultimately lost the game, 94-87. The Mavs fell to 6-4 on the season while the Magic improved to 3-9.

The Mavericks avoided a slow start, getting out to a 28-24 lead at the end of the first quarter as Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 20 points in the first 12 minutes. The backcourt duo added to their total in the second quarter, as Dallas led Orlando 54-50 at halftime. Luka scored 17 first-half points as Dinwiddie added 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

In the second half, the Magic just never went away as the Mavericks hit a bit of a shooting slump in the third quarter. That slump was led by Doncic who couldn't seem to get the ball through the hoop from outside.

In the fourth, it was Dinwiddie who continued to put the ball in the bucket for Dallas to keep them alive, but the Mavs just couldn't keep up with Orlando's timely buckets down the stretch. 

A season-best game from Spencer Dinwiddie went to waste for the Mavericks, as he with a season-high 29 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 9-19 shooting. Dinwiddie getting off to a quick start and sustaining that throughout the night was huge for him and the Mavericks after he struggled on Monday against the Nets.

Luka finished with 24 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks on just 9-29 shooting as his 30-point game streak to start the season came to an end.

However, wasn't just Doncic who struggled from the field. Reggie Bullock shot 0-3 from the downtown and Tim Hardaway Jr. shot just 2-10 from the field as the Mavericks sorely missed Christian Wood's scoring off the bench. Wood didn't make the road trip due to a left knee sprain.

An issue for the Mavericks on Wednesday night was rebounding and defending the paint, as the lengthy Magic out-rebounded the Mavericks 49-29 and scored 50 points in the paint. The likes of Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Bol Bol, and Mo Bamba were able to get on the glass and score at will down low, showcasing a lack of size for Dallas.

Despite the loss, the Mavericks' defense did a great job of forcing turnovers. The young Orlando team gave the ball up 18 times to Dallas' four, as the Mavs were active in the passing lanes, deflecting balls and forcing arrant passes.

The Mavericks will look to bounce back on Thursday night as they travel to Washington to take on old pal Kristaps Porzingis and the Washington Wizards at 6 p.m. CT. 


Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.


Published
Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.