Mavs can’t finish, lose to the Magic, 110-104, in overtime

ORLANDO – If the Dallas Mavericks can’t play better than they played Friday night against one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, they’re going to have a difficult time trying to escape the heavyweights the Western Conference put on the court.

Seemingly in control of a game they led by 14 points late in the third quarter Friday night against an inferior opponent, the Mavs continued a horrific trend en route to losing to the Orlando Magic, 110-104 in overtime, at the Amway Center.

The loss was the fifth in the last six games for the Mavs, who are 29-27 and now tied with seven-seeded Portland and ninth-seeded Utah in the loss column in the race for the playoffs. Houston, who is seeded eighth, owns a 27-28 record.

Guard Wesley Matthews figures he knows what ails the troubling Mavs, who has seemingly lost the pep in their step during a crucial time of the season.

"We just got to finish games, finish teams off,’’ Matthews said. "We knew they were going to continue to fight, they weren’t going to go anywhere.

"We didn’t make enough shots in the fourth and they hit some timely ones.’’

The Mavs actually set a franchise record with 19 made 3-pointers. Chandler Parsons was 6-of-7 from 3-point range and Deron Williams was 5-of-9 from downtown.

But the defensive breakdowns and mental mistakes that have haunted the Mavs all season came back to bite them again against the Magic, who sport a 24-29 record.

"We had some costly turnovers and some lapses in our zone,’’ said Parsons, who tallied 24 points. "It’s a disappointing loss from where we want to get to and what we’re playing for.

"We can’t have many more of these types of losses. We stopped playing fast and they started hitting shots, too. You’ve got to give them credit.’’

That credit was duly noted. But the Mavs know if they have big-time aspirations about surprising some folks in the playoffs, they can ill-afford to cough up games like the one they coughed up Friday night.

"I thought we had enough stops to actually steal the win here,’’ said Dirk Nowitzki, who struggled with 11 points on just 4-of-16 shooting. "We ran a little dry and couldn’t score the ball any more.

"Those are the kind of games you have to keep getting stops and running back to battle on the rebounds and try to win it ugly.’’

By all accounts, in the Mavs’ first game since the All-Star break, this was an ugly one they hope they won’t repeat again. The Mavs shot 41.6 percent from the field and got outrebounded by a whopping 63-45 margin while losing more than their fair share of the 50-50 balls.

Meanwhile, guard Wesley Matthews had just five points on 2-of-10 shots in 37 minutes, and admitted he’s not carrying his weight. Especially since Matthews sees he’s had at least 10 points just twice in the last 10 games.

"I’ve got to continue to prove myself with this team – it’s a new team,’’ Matthews said. "Myself, I’ve got to play better.

"I take that onus up, I take that ownership, and I will. I’m not worried about that.’’

Coach Rick Carlisle also said he’s not concerned about the offensive rut Matthews has fallen in.

"He’s just got to stick with the process,’’ Carlisle said. "This is not a Wes thing, it’s a team thing.

"We’ve got to stick together and we’ve got to make a stand. We’re struggling.’’

Struggling mightily.

And the Mavs know a lengthy home stand – they play nine of their next 10 at home – won’t exactly solve the problem if they don’t get out and bust their guts and do what’s necessary in order to win games.

"We’ve got to close games out as a team,’’ Mathews said. "We can’t worry about who’s on the court and who’s not on the court.

"That’s coach’s decision. But whoever’s out there we’ve got to finish games out.’’

The Mavs also must dig deep and find the will to get off to a better start. They started Friday like they were lying on the beach of some tropical island.

Orlando bolted out to a 31-10 lead before the first quarter was even over. And the 10-day layoff for the All-Star break couldn’t be used as an excuse, because the Magic were on a nine-day layoff between games.

"We struggled in the beginning and that’s part of it, but that’s not an excuse,’’ Carlisle said. "It’s not a surprise.

"The better team gets off to a shaky start against athletes like this, but we hung in and found a way to get the thing back even. We got a lead and we just didn’t make enough plays.’’

Orlando outscored the Mavs 38-23 in the fourth quarter and overtime session. At crunch time, the Mavs were simply asleep at the wheel.

"Against any team, it’s tough to come back from a deficit like that,’’ Parsons said, referring to the 21-point deficit. "But we did a good job of fighting and scraping our way back in.’’

The Mavs just didn’t have the right amount of fight to close the deal.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Mavs can’t finish, lose to the Magic, 110-104, in overtime."