Luka Doncic's Hot Start Lifts Mavericks Past Short-Handed Magic, 108-85

Dallas dominated the Magic on the first night of a back-to-back

Nov 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) poses after he makes a three point basket against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks started the first night of a back-to-back at home against the short-handed Orlando Magic, who were playing without their rising star Paolo Banchero. With him out of the lineup, Dallas didn't have many excuses to drop this game and needed a win following their disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets on Halloween night.

Without Banchero, the Magic rolled out Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, rookie Tristan da Silva, and Wendell Carter Jr. Carter was a game-time decision with knee tendonitis. Dallas started their usual five of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford.

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The Mavericks wanted to get off to a fast start offensively. Through five games this season, they have yet to score 30 points in any opening quarter. Gafford had six of Dallas' first eight points, but Orlando had the lead early. Four minutes into the game, the Magic had a 15-8 lead.

A Naji Marshall layup with a few minutes left in the period gave the Mavs the first lead of the game, 20-19; then he fed Dereck Lively II on an alley-oop to stretch the lead to three. Luka Doncic got off to a better start than he'd been getting recently, with 14 points on 5/9 shooting. Dallas also had their highest-scoring opening period of the season by taking a 30-22 lead into the second.

Kyrie Irving started the second quarter with a contested corner three to push the lead into double digits, and Quentin Grimes followed that up with a three from the opposite corner to cap off a 13-0 run. The offense ground to a halt for a few minutes after that, with Doncic on the bench. Once he came back in, the offense picked it up again while the defense remained on lockdown as they went up 22 following a Doncic pull-up three.

Orlando just couldn't sustain consistent offense without Banchero. Every possession was a struggle to get a clean shot, and even when it was open, they didn't convert. The Magic were down 25 points at halftime, facing a 65-40 deficit. Doncic had 25 points himself, finally getting off to the great start we'd been waiting for, while no one for Orlando had more than eight.

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The Mavericks decided to get Klay Thompson more involved in the second half with the score well out of hand already. They gave him opportunities to handle the ball in pick-and-rolls, and he knocked down mid-range shots at a high rate, something you don't see often in the NBA anymore. Daniel Gafford was also getting plenty of point-blank looks. Wendell Carter left the game with the knee soreness he'd been dealing with, leaving Mo Wagner and Jonathan Isaac as the Magic's centers, and Dallas started to take advantage of the on the glass. A free throw by Doncic following some offensive rebounds put the Mavs up 30 midway through the third.

Even as Dallas' offense stalled in the third and they started to coast, they were still locking up on defense, holding Orlando to 61 points through three quarters and holding a 27-point lead.

Klay Thompson didn't hit his first three-pointer until the opening minute of the fourth quarter to put them back up by 30. Jason Kidd subbed in the bench with plenty of time left, looking to cruise to the finish, and despite the Magic chipping away a little at the end, the Mavericks would go on to win 108-85.

It was the perfect night to get the starters out early, with this being the first night of a back-to-back and playing the fact-paced Indiana Pacers tomorrow. Luka Doncic played 31 minutes and no one else played more than 28.

Luka Doncic's 25 first-half points would be the big difference, as he'd finish with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Kyrie Irving added 17 points, and Daniel Gafford had an effective night with 18 points and eight rebounds. He and Dereck Lively II were excellent in this game, dominating on the glass after being embarrassed in that area against Houston.

Dallas's defense held Franz Wagner to just 13 points on 6/15 shooting, and he was their leading scorer before the bench units checked in. Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner had 10 points each.

If there's one area to nitpick for the Mavericks, they turned it over too many times, albeit against a good defense. Luka Doncic had four turnovers, Daniel Gafford had three, and almost every player who checked in had at least one turnover, as they finished with 18 turnovers for the game.

Dallas will play the second night of a back-to-back at home on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers.

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