The Orlando Magic will travel to the American Airlines Center to square off against the Dallas Mavericks. Action starts at 8:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 1 and can be seen on FSW, FxF and C+D.
The Mavericks enter this game hoping for similar success after thoroughly outplaying the Timberwolves 128-101 on Sunday. Chandler Parsons led all scorers on the team with 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting. The Magic, meanwhile, are coming off a 130-116 win over the 76ers on Sunday. Victor Oladipo had a good game for Orlando, recording 28 points, four steals, and three assists.
Over the last five games, Parsons has taken his game to another level for the Mavericks. During that stretch, he has averaged 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers. The Magic also have their own player combo that has been hot in that same time frame. Aaron Gordon has averaged 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer, while Oladipo has put up 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Magic won the first game 110-104. Despite the loss, Parsons was a top performer in the game with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, three blocks, and six three-pointers.
The Mavericks enter the game with records of 32-28 Straight Up (SU) and 32-26-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 32-28 SU and 32-26-2 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Mavericks are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .790 from the free throw line. Dallas is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.77.
On the other side, the Magic have a record of 33-25 ATS and 26-32 SU. Orlando has records of 26-32 SU and 33-25 ATS against the West. During the last 10 games, they averaged 109.6 PPG, above their 100.8 PPG season average. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Magic on the defensive end. They allowed 109.8 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 102.1.
The Magic’s win over Dallas in their last clash wasn’t enough for them to overtake the Mavericks in the most recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 2-8 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Mavericks also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Dal
Notes
On average, Orlando scores 100.8 points per game (ranked 21st), while Dallas gives up 102.3 points per game (ranked 15th).
Orlando ranks 22nd in points per away game with 98.4 points, while Dallas ranks 15th in points allowed at home with 101.0.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Mavericks are 20-4 on the season. When the Magic score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 5-18.
Dallas is a losing 12-24 when it allows 100 or more points. Orlando has a 21-14 record when it hits the century mark.
The Magic have a defensive rating of 104.2 (ranked 15th). The Mavericks rank ninth for their offensive rating of 104.8.
Dallas averages fewer possessions per game than Orlando, with 97.5 compared to 98.5. However, the Mavericks score an average of 1.048 points per possession, more than the 1.023 that the Magic score.
Dallas has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.0%. Orlando is a poor 12-21 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Dallas makes an average of 21.8 assists per game (ranked 16th). Orlando ranks higher in assists with 23.2 (ranked seventh).
The Mavericks rank 17th in rebounds per game with 43.0, while the Magic rank 14th with 43.9 per game.
Dallas is ranked eighth in defensive rebounds, while Orlando ranks 16th in offensive rebounds.
Dallas has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.8% this season. Orlando has a subpar 10-16 record when its TOV% is 13.8% or higher.
