Game Preview: Dallas Mavericks Look to Get on Track vs. Magic

The stretch run for the Dallas Mavericks begins in Orlando against the Magic after the all-star break.

The Dallas Mavericks needed that extended all-star break more than just about any other team. Players were banged up and weary after a grueling 55 games, and the team lost four of its final five games before the all-star festivities north of the border in Toronto.

Now, after turning down trade offers at the deadline and watching conference foes make moves (for better or worse), Dallas must turn their focus to finishing the season strong and earning themselves a favorable position in the standings come playoff time.

It all starts in Orlando against the Magic, a young team that just got a facelift at the deadline. Gone are Tobias Harris and Channing Frye, replaced by Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings. Both are expected to make their Magic debuts against the Mavericks, and to help a team that struggles to score at times. Dallas will also have their hands full with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, the athletic forward who put on a show of a lifetime in the Slam Dunk Contest less than a week ago.

Gordon, in his second year as a pro, still needs a lot of polishing to his game. But his athleticism and mobility could be a problem for Dallas. They’ll need to put a body on him every time a shot goes up and find him in transition to avoid giving him easy baskets. Gordon has averaged just shy of a double-double in his last 10 games.

Dallas will be without Devin Harris for the 10th straight game as he nurses a sprained toe back to health. The key players for the Mavericks will be Dirk Nowitzki and Florida-native Chandler Parsons. The Magic don’t have a whole lot to throw at Nowitzki, and Parsons has been playing at an all-star level for nearly a month now. It’ll also be interesting to see if the recent rest will help Wesley Matthews emerge from a horrid shooting slump.

The game tips off at 6pm cst, with the Mavericks actually an underdog to the 23-29 Magic.

Next: Western Conference Playoff Picture Post-Deadline

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