Orlando Magic (41-36) beat Dallas Mavericks (24-53) 138-127 on the road on Friday, April 3 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 265 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Magic had the better start, winning the first 38-31 to lead by 7 after one. The Magic kept the pressure on with a 33-27 second quarter, carrying a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Magic won the third 40-34 to create some separation, taking a 19-point lead into the fourth. The Mavericks took the fourth 35-27; the Magic held on for a 138-127 regulation win.
What decided it
The Magic got more from their shots, finishing at 64.3% effective field-goal shooting compared with 53.7% for the Mavericks. The Magic made 35.7 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 26.3 for the Mavericks. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Mavericks did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 11.7 against 14.6. The Magic made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 110 possessions per team, the Magic produced 125.5 points per 100 possessions to 115.5 for the Mavericks.
Who made the difference
Cooper Flagg was the game's biggest individual force for DAL: 51 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl on 19-30 shooting. His Game Score of 44.2 led everyone. His team was -2 with him on the floor.
Desmond Bane led the Magic with 27 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl on 8-13 shooting, good for a 27.1 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 57% for the Magic.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Dallas Mavericks lead 2-1.
The Magic are now 41-36, and the Mavericks are 24-53. The Magic last five before this game: L-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.