3 straight losses for Orlando as Doncic and Mavericks work their magic quickly

The Orlando Magic had the start they wanted on Sunday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

After four minutes, Orlando led 15-8 on 6 of 9 shooting from the field and played with the intensity needed to keep pace with the Western Conference champions and avoid a third straight road loss.

The Magic were still adjusting to life without leading scorer Paolo Banchero and seemed determined to find themselves a little.

But as coach Jamahl Mosley has often pointed out, games last 48 minutes. And when the Magic's shooting slowed down, they lost control. They lost themselves in the process.

From the 4:41 mark in the first quarter to the 2:30 mark in the second quarter, Dallas outscored Orlando 46-13. This avalanche effectively ended the drama. Orlando lost 108-85 and fell to 3-4 on the season.

“We started well,” Mosley said, “I liked our energy. I liked our spirit. I think we missed a couple of basket shots right at the rim and that, along with the shot setup, led to them having a lot of easy run outs or lack thereof.

“I thought we got a great look,” Mosley added. “I mean, we were 18-40 in the game…it's hard to overcome. A lot of those missed shots result in run-outs because you have people on the edge. We just have to make sure we get it done. Go.” in there and aggressively, finish the piece.

As Mosley noted, Orlando's shooting was pitiful: 31 of 93 (33.3%) from the field and 8 of 41 (19.5%) from three.

Dallas won the points 52-36 and followed a now-familiar pattern for scoring on the Magic this year – running past them. With 19 fast break points, Dallas easily surpassed Orlando's 12.

“(Dallas) played a lot in transition,” forward Franz Wagner said. “Like other losses we've had, I didn't think we did a good job of coming back. And then I don't think we found our rhythm in the first half. I thought we made a good look, but we have to.” Stay a little more emotionally stable if some good shots don't fall.

Wagner's 13 points were a top score for the Magic. Jett Howard (12), Jalen Suggs (10) and Moritz Wagner (10) also reached double figures. Dallas star Luka Doncic had 32 and received double-digit contributions from Daniel Gafford (18), Kyrie Irving (17) and Dereck Lively II (11).

Wendell Carter Jr. returned to the starting lineup after missing a game with tendonitis in his right knee, but was clearly struggling. During the second quarter landslide, Carter Jr. left the game permanently with a strained left plantar fascia. As he limped to the Magic bench, Suggs put an arm around his emotionally distraught teammate to cheer him up.

Magic center Goga Bitadze (left foot tendon strain) missed his fourth straight game. Mosley said he thinks Bitadze is “progressing in the right direction, but we'll see tomorrow too.”

After scoring 17 points in his first rotation minutes in Cleveland on Friday night, rookie winger Tristan da Silva made his first career start on Sunday. He finished with seven points, but Mosley said the Magic's top five points could continue to fluctuate depending on the matchup and situation.

The loss extends Orlando's losing streak in Dallas to 13 games, starting on January 8, 2011. The Magic's record is below .500 for the first time since the end of the 2022-23 season.

The Magic's road trip continues for the second night in a row, making a quick trip to Oklahoma City for a matchup with the Thunder. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET at Paycom Center.

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