Dončić is strong early as the Mavericks bury Magic

The last time the Orlando Magic won at the American Airlines Center, the Mavericks were on their way to the NBA championship.

It was January 8, 2011 and Jason Kidd has since transitioned from point guard to coach.

So it's the equivalent of an NBA generation in which the Mavericks have dominated Orlando, and the streak continued Sunday night when they took an early lead and a 108-85 victory over the undermanned and road-weary Magic, who were just five games in play, stumble and play without their best player, all-star Paolo Banchero.

None of that mattered to the Mavericks, who improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in this five-game homestand that continues Monday against Indiana.

Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 32 points, but barely had to change the box score after halftime. He also had nine rebounds and seven assists. He and Kyrie Irving (17 points) took extended breaks in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks led 88-61 after three frames. Daniel Gafford had a season-best 18 points, supporting Irving and Dončić. Lively had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

In other words, the Mavericks couldn't have handled their business better than they did on Sunday.

Kidd praised Dončić for getting the team right.

“I thought his energy was great,” Kidd said. “As our leader, he set the tone from the start and I thought the boys followed him. Our bench was really, really good. We won a first quarter. It's been a while.

“Luka came out and usually dominated the first game in the past, and I thought tonight was the first time he really dominated on both sides, offensively and defensively.”

It was the first time this season that Dončić played the entire first quarter, which was the plan “if he scored,” Kidd said with a smile.

And the dominance was clear for the Mavericks.

When Irving and Quentin Grimes began the second quarter with three-pointers, the Mavericks had turned an early seven-point deficit into a 36-22 lead.

And the router was turned on. Before the Magic knew it, the Mavericks' lead was 55-28.

It was an important win for the Mavericks to ensure Thursday's 108-102 loss to Houston didn't turn into a losing streak.

Dončić was outstanding in the first half, making 9 of 15 shots, including 5 of 10 from three-point range, and collecting 25 points. It's the 30th^Th For the first time in his career, he scored at least 25 points in a half, which is the most points in the NBA since he entered the league in 2018-19 (James Harden also has 30).

There must be something up to the Magic and their coach, former Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, getting the best out of Luka. Last season in the AAC meet, he scored 45 points in a 131-129 Mavericks win.

“I just had to play a good game and just try to come out and have fun,” Luka said when asked what it is about Orlando that excites him so much. “Playing at home is always fun for the fans. I just wanted to give them something.”

So what was the key to making his offense seem smoother?

“Just be myself,” Dončić said. “Play basketball, have fun out there. Today was really fun. We defended, rebounded and played with a lot of speed. I find that fun.”

The defense was impressive. Orlando shot just 33.3 percent and hit just 8 of 41 (19.5 percent) from three-point range. The Mavericks also had their best rebounding game of the season, winning on the glass 53-43.

And they received some important contributions from outside the normal sources. Naji Marshall hadn't made much of a splash in the first five games, but on Sunday he had five assists in the first half. Two of those came via lob passes to Daniel Gafford, who took advantage of the diminutive Magic with 12 first-half points as the Mavericks effectively took control of the game. These lobs came primarily in transition, not in the halfcourt sets.

Marshall, Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie and Lively were all at least plus-15 in the first half.

“We weren’t playing our best basketball at that point,” Luka said. “I think Naji changed that when he came off the bench. He was great today. I love his playing. I always loved him when he was in New Orleans. He is a very complete player. And he's just getting used to (us). It’s a new team and he’s going to keep getting better.”

That can be said about all of the Mavericks, as they have now played a handful of games with Luka and he has played with them.

“We have to remember he (Luka) hasn’t had a training camp, so he’s getting going,” Kidd said. “And the group that played without him and has now been inserted with him needs to get used to him. This is something for everyone.”

The Magic were without Banchero, who tore an oblique muscle last week and will be out for at least a month. The second-year forward averaged 29 points and 8.8 rebounds in the first five games before the injury.

Without him, the Magic have struggled to score and have now lost the first three games of this five-game trip that continues to Oklahoma City and Indiana.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, picked up a win that also gave them a chance to give their heavyweights a little more rest with Monday's late game (8:45 p.m.) fast approaching.

X: @ESefko