The Orlando Magic saw a halftime lead dissipate as the Dallas Mavericks did whatever they wanted and tortured the Magic offensively in the second half.
There were brief moments where it looked like the Orlando Magic were ready to fight for this one. As the Dallas Mavericks zoomed past them in the third quarter after the Orlando Magic built a five-point halftime lead, it seemed the Magic were again going to capitulate.
Moments are not enough to win a game. That brief glimpse with Aaron Gordon fighting hard for an offensive rebound before throwing down a monstrous one-handed slam or Evan Fournier fighting off Dwight Powell to box out for a rebound (drawing a foul in the process)? Those were too few and far between.
Far more often, Elfrid Payton would switch onto Dirk Nowitzki in the paint rather than fighting through the screen, allowing Nowitzki to square up and shoot over him like he was not even there. More often, Powell would go rolling down the lane with no one to stop him or tag him. Or more often, the point guard would turn the corner and get all the way to the basket.
The Magic trailed by eight points midway through the fourth quarter, but it felt like 15. And Dallas eventually pulled away to win by that much, defeating Orlando 114-99 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.
The Magic cut the lead to four points with about five minutes to play on Aaron Gordon’s long two. But that was as close as they would get. The Mavericks made back to back baskets, including an and-one on one of those missed pick and roll rotations, and that put the game out of reach.
Orlando could not generate offense consistently and gave up baskets in quick succession time and time again. Dallas scored 71 points in the second half, outscoring Orlando by 20 points. The Magic seemed to be struggling to generate offense and good shots. The Mavericks seemed to be getting them with ease, pick and rolling the Magic to death.
Against a team only a half-game ahead of them in the standings, the Magic got completely outworked and outclassed.
Next: How the Orlando Magic rebuild will play out
The Orlando Magic are right back in action, taking on the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee on Wednesday.