Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 95 at Orlando Magic 85
Friday night's matchup with the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic figured to be a benchmark game for the new-look Dallas Mavericks. By night's end, the Mavericks set a new standard.
In a battle between the Southwest and Southeast Division leaders, the squad from Big D headed to Orlando for the third of four games in five nights. After bringing in Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson for the sole purpose of contending for an NBA title, the Mavericks wanted to see just how close they are to the top tier teams in the league. The Mavericks proved that they are also a team to be reckoned with, after a come-from-behind 95-85 road win.
"We had some really good stretches, and there were a few other short stretches where we had some breakdowns," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle summed up the night. "But the key was we just kept battling, kept hanging in. It was a hard fought game."
The Dallas squad has now won back-to-back games, both 10-point wins, after a 99-86 loss in Oklahoma City coming out of the All-Star break. With the win, Dallas became the first Western Conference squad to win in Orlando this season.
"We've been a bit of a streaky team. We have the ability to go on hot streaks as well," Carlisle said.
Because of the tough scheduling, the team has been forced to learn how to play together without practice time.
"This is four in five nights, so we are practicing and at the same time we're playing," point guard Jason Kidd said. "Games are our practice. And we're a veteran ball club, so I think that helps."
(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
Still yet to hit the practice court together, the Mavs put out a starting lineup of Kidd, Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Haywood. For the second straight contest, Haywood began the game in the five spot with center Erick Dampier out indefinitely with a dislocated right middle finger. But while matching up with All-Star big man Dwight Howard, Haywood found himself with two quick fouls in the opening quarter.
"When you have a guy 7-1 out there, it's going to change the geometry of the game, defensively. Guys are going to go in there, they're going to have to change their shots, they're going to see length and long arms up over the rim...(Haywood's) foul trouble is what got him out of the game early," Carlisle said.
With the 7-footer on the bench and veteran reserve Eduardo Najera on the court, the Dallas defense was no match for Howard inside. After a buzzer-beating transition layup by Matt Barnes concluded the period, the Magic took a 33-23 advantage after one. The Magic's 13-for-20 shooting in the first quarter paced the home team in front early.
"We were down 10 at the end of the first quarter but kept battling, and that was the key," the coach added.
The Mavericks found a spark plug in the play of J.J. Barea early in the second quarter. But more than anything, Butler's aggression and finishing ability got the Mavs back into the game. After falling behind by as much as 12, Butler and the Mavs cut their deficit to 47-42 heading into the halftime break.
Howard's 13-point, eight-rebound first half led all players in those categories after 24 minutes of play. But the Mavericks stayed close behind Butler's 10 first half points. After the hot first quarter, the Magic cooled down to 47 percent shooting, which was still better than Dallas' 39 percent at the other end.
"Dwight was just killing there in the first half," Nowitzki said. "He got whatever he wanted. He got to the basket, he got some dunks, he got right shoulder, left shoulder jump hooks. So, we wanted in the second half to just mix it up...We did a decent job of mixing it up on him."
With Nowitzki having a quiet night by his own standards for the first two quarters, the Mavericks continued to go to Butler on the offensive end. But after Dallas climbed to within one, Howard began to reassert himself at both ends of the floor. As Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis gave Howard aid with shots from behind the 3-point arch, the Orlando lead once again reached double digits. The Mavs responded, finding Nowitzki for easier looks and slicing the Magic's advantage to 69-65 heading into the fourth. Nowitzki posted 13 points in the third.Beginning at the 1:49-mark of the third quarter, the Mavericks utilized inside-outside play to spark a 19-0 run, eventually taking a 77-69 lead on Kidd's fadeaway jumper with 8:54 remaining.
"We obviously needed that spurt to get back in control of the game," Carlisle said.
With Haywood dominating the paint and Jason Terry coming on strong in the period, the Mavericks attempted to hold off the Magic on its home floor. Buckling down on the defensive end, the Mavericks did just that.
"Defensively, I think we talked better and we were more aggressive," Haywood said. "As a team we doubled Dwight a little bit and that threw them for a loop...It got them into a funk and we did a couple of different post coverages and had more aggressiveness on the screen-and-rolls."
After a 3-pointer from Kidd put some distance between the two squads, the future Hall-of-Famer found a cutting Terry for a layup to put the Mavericks up 90-81 with 51.8 ticks remaining. The Mavs then finished the game off at the foul line, eventually outscoring the Magic 30-16 in the fourth quarter.
"During that third and fourth quarter, we made Dwight become a passer," Kidd said. "We didn't want the layups to keep happening. They turned the ball over and missed some threes. We capitalized on that."
It is the Mavericks' 12th comeback of the season in games in which they trailed by 10 points or more.
Nowitzki led five Mavs in double digits with 23 points, getting help from Butler (16), Terry (16), Haywood (15) and Kidd (10). The play of the bench was lopsidedly in Dallas' favor, as the Mavericks' reserves outscored their Orlando counterparts 27-6.
Haywood finished one board short of a double-double with nine rebounds.
"Brendan had two or three really big baskets in the fourth quarter...He was a big part of the win," the coach said.
"The guys have been great," Haywood added. "Jason Kidd has really been doing a good job of directing me, Jason Terry as well. They have been keeping me in the right spots. And if there is a play I am not familiar with, they run me through it."
Meanwhile, Kidd once again filled up the stat sheet with eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
Howard finished the night with a game-high 29 points, as four of the five Magic starters scored in double figures.
But Dallas out-shot Orlando 45 percent to 41 percent. The Dallas defense also disrupted the Magic's outside attack, forcing Orlando into 4-of-25 from 3-point range.
"Howard had a big night scoring, but they weren't able to get going from the 3-point line. We did a little bit of double-teaming, but for the most part, Brendan played him straight up. It allows you to stay closer to the 3-point shooters, so it was a big key," Carlisle said.
"What was really key is, where they get you is with their 3-point shot. I thought we really stuck with their shooters," Nowitzki echoed.
Led by Howard's game-high 16 rebounds, the Magic won the battle on the boards, 47-45. Orlando also held a 52-36 advantage in points in the paint, but the uptempo Mavs used a 17-6 edge in fast break points to sprint to their 18th road win of the season.
"Look, when we get stops and get the ball into Jason Kidd's hands in transition, great things happen for us," Carlisle said.
Saturday night, the Mavs hope great things continue to happen when they put an end to a stretch of four games in five nights and host the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Center. That game will air nationally on NBA TV and locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. The Mavs took the first meeting between the two teams, a 106-93 road win on Dec. 11.
For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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