No joke. Dirk Nowitzki could not play the magician and pull the Mavericks out of this one.
By shooting just 38.3 percent for the game and allowing the Magic, the NBA’s best 3-point shooting team, to connect on 14 of 24 attempts, the Mavericks lost 97-82 Thursday night at American Airlines Center.
With 2,027 attempted 3’s and 744 made 3’s for the season, the Magic lead both categories. In a 95-85 win over Orlando on February 19, the Mavs limited them to just four. Thursday, the Mavs failed to put forth a similar defensive performance. While allowing 14 long range shots through the netting, the Mavs only countered with four of their own, three of those late in the game.
J.J. Barea, who missed the last two games with a sore ankle, replaced Shawn Marion on the floor with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter. Barea compiled 16 points in just 17:24 minutes. He shot 7 of 9 on field goals and swished two 3’s for half the Mavs’ total. Doing his best Nowitzki impression, Barea got 14 of his 16 points in the fourth.
Leading the Mavs with 24 points, Nowitzki scored them all in the first three quarters and saw only limited time in the final quarter, making Barea even more important. Although the Mavs weren’t able to pull off a comeback reminiscent of Wednesday, they did outscore the Magic 26-25 in the final 12 minutes. Twenty-six points might as well be considered an explosion following totals in the first three quarters of 16, 20 and 20. Compare those numbers to 18, 25 and 29 for the Magic in the first three quarters.
The Mavs struggled all night to suppress Dwight Howard, the league’s leading rebounder and shot blocker. Howard averages 13.3 rebounds and 2.74 blocks per game for the Magic. Thursday, Howard tallied 20 rebounds and five blocks to go along with 17 points. Off the bench, Mickael Pietrus bucketed 24, including 6 for 6 from long range. Pietrus is from Guadeloupe, the same island as Mavs’ rookie Rodrique Beaubois, and is credited by some for discovering him.
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