A franchise record 19 three pointers was not enough for a Dallas victory on Friday night, as the Mavericks (29-27) dropped its third overtime game of the season in a 110-104 overtime loss at the Orlando Magic.
Dallas managed to erase a 21 point first half deficit due in large part to a 35 point second quarter. The Mavericks roared back after shooting a dismal 17 percent from the field in the first frame, making nine threes in the second period to eventually tie the game at 46.
But Orlando (24-29) was not fazed by the comeback effort, even after Dallas built a 14 point lead late in the third quarter. Instead, the Magic outscored Dallas 38-23 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined to come away with the victory.
“We missed some really big shots,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “[We had] some missed opportunities and then we didn’t get stops. We’re struggling. We’ve got to stick together and finish games.”
Forward Chandler Parsons had a happy Florida homecoming, making his first six shots from beyond the arc to aid in the Mavericks’ surge back into the game. He finished the game with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
“It’s all about the team,” Carlisle said of Parsons not getting more shots down the stretch. “The thing he has to do is not turn the ball over. Those are plays we have to avoid. With our team the ball has to move. And frankly, that group is not doing a good job finishing games.”
Dallas started the game about as worse as humanly possible, shooting a humbling 2-of-15 from the floor with several turnovers and missed rebounds sprinkled in. To make matters worse, the offense looked completely stagnant in the first quarter, with little to no ball movement and missed layups rampant.
Fortunately, the Mavericks seemed to remember how to play basketball and quickly turned things around in the second quarter. But like the game against the Utah Jazz before the All-Star break, Dallas’ inconsistency remains an issue. Seven of the nine overtime games the Mavericks have played in this year have occurred because Dallas has given up a tying shot or free throws in the final 25 seconds.
“We struggled in the beginning,” Carlisle said. “That’s part of it. It’s not an excuse and it’s not a surprise. We hung in. We found a way to get the thing back even.”
With the game tonight against the Magic, Carlisle’s squad enters a stretch of its schedule it must take advantage of. Six of Dallas’ next seven games are at home and against opponents with losing records. They did not get off on the right foot tonight.
Next up: Dallas hosts the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, Feb. 22 at the American Airlines Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST.
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