Orlando Magic (33-28) beat Dallas Mavericks (21-41) 115-114 at home on Thursday, March 5 in a game that stayed within 7 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Mavericks had the better start, winning the first 33-26 to lead by 7 after one. The Magic cut into the deficit with a 34-29 second quarter, though the Mavericks still led by 2 at halftime.
The Magic won the third 31-26 to turn the game around, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Mavericks took the fourth 26-24; the Magic held on for a 115-114 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Magic grabbed 29.8% of their own misses, while the Mavericks recovered 25%. The Magic took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.8% of possessions compared with 13% for the Mavericks. In a 1-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Mavericks did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 25.6 against 14.4. The Magic made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Magic produced 113.7 points per 100 possessions to 112.7 for the Mavericks.
Who made the difference
Tristan Da Silva was the game's biggest individual force for ORL: 19 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl on 7-7 shooting. His Game Score of 22.3 led everyone. His team was +3 with him on the floor.
Klay Thompson led the Mavericks with 24 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast on 7-12 shooting, good for a 19.1 Game Score.
Paolo Banchero (16 pts, 12 reb, 6 ast) and Daniel Gafford (12 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Magic about a 78% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Dallas Mavericks lead 2-0.
The Magic are now 33-28, and the Mavericks are 21-41. The Magic last five before this game: W-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.