Sports Mole previews Monday’s NBA clash between Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic, including predictions, team news and form guides.
An opportunity to get themselves back to winning ways in front of their fans awaits the Dallas Mavericks when they welcome the Orlando Magic to the American Airlines Center on Monday.
The home side were on the receiving end of a shock defeat to the Houston Rockets last time out, while their visitors were well beaten by the in-form Cleveland Cavaliers.
Match preview
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Fresh from securing a convincing win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks entertained the challenge of the Houston Rockets in the first of five straight home involvements.
A slow start to the opening quarters in both halves left Jason Kidd‘s men with a 16-point deficit to make up heading into the final 12 minutes, where they managed to keep the scoreline somewhat respectable at 108-102.
Luka Doncic led the way in scoring for his side with 29 points and was closely followed by Kyrie Irving (28), while Klay Thompson recovered from a scoreless first quarter to end the game with 12 points on 5-13 shooting from the field.
The aforementioned trio were the only ones into double digits for points last time out as the likes of PJ Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie struggled to make an impact on the offensive end, managing a combined 10 points.
A 3-2 record to start the new campaign remains a decent return for the Mavericks, who will now be looking to string together a winning streak to exhibit their title credentials after their run to the NBA finals last time out.
Monday’s game pits the Mavericks against an opposing outfit who have been beaten in three of the last four encounters between the teams, including both of last season’s inter-conference clashes.
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The Orlando Magic failed in their quest to become the first team to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers this season following a comprehensive 120-109 defeat at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday morning.
Having been dealt a huge blow due to the absence of Paolo Banchero, Jamahl Mosley‘s men were unable to cope with the Cavs early on and went into the interval already trailing by 19 points, but they won both quarters in the second half to trim the margin to 120-109.
The Magic were one of the surprise packages from the last campaign, where they made a return to the playoffs before eventually bowing out in the first round to the Cavaliers after a thrilling seven-game series.
Splitting their six matches so far into three wins and three defeats apiece, the Magic have fallen off the pace in recent weeks, having lost three of their last four matches since kicking off proceedings with consecutive wins over the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets.
With a trip to the Oklahoma City Thunder to follow Monday’s affair, the Magic will need to put on a solid performance here before heading into arguably their toughest assignment so far against last year’s number one seed in the West.
Dallas Mavericks NBA form:
Orlando Magic NBA form:
Team News
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Maxi Kleber is still out of contention for the Dallas Mavericks through a right hamstring injury, although the power forward is not far off a return to action as things stand.
Twenty-nine-year-old Dante Exum is set for a fairly lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to fix a wrist problem back in early October.
Paolo Banchero is unavailable for the Magic on Monday as he continues to battle with a right torn oblique and will be re-evaluated in just over a month.
Goga Bitadze also misses out for the away side through a foot injury he picked up less than five minutes after coming off the bench in last month’s defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Wendell Carter Jr missed his side’s last outing with a knee issue, but there is a good chance he returns for Monday’s game and displaces Moritz Wagner in the starting five.
Dallas Mavericks possible starting five:
Doncic, Irving; Thompson, Washington; Gafford
Orlando Magic possible starting five:
Suggs, Black; Caldwell-Pope, F Wagner; M Wagner
We say: Mavericks to win by 7+ points
Missing someone of Banchero’s quality would be a huge blow to any team in the NBA, and the Magic are now set for yet another tough test on the road after their beatdown in Ohio.
We can see the Mavericks coming out on top when all is said and done here.
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