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Saturday, Nov. 13 8:00pm ET
Three-guard lineup helps Mavs | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- Don Nelson tinkered with his lineup once again, and this time it worked out for the Dallas Mavericks. Nelson used a three-guard lineup to open the second half after trailing by 11 at the break, and the Mavericks rallied for a 125-117 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. Michael Finley scored 28 to help the Mavericks end their three-game losing streak. Cedric Ceballos, Erick Strickland and Robert Pack added 21 points apiece for Dallas. Nelson went for long stretches in the second half without a player taller than 6-foot-7 on the floor, and the Mavericks' quickness forced the Magic into 19 second-half turnovers. "We had to pick up the pace defensively," Strickland said. "That's where we've been really struggling. We got after them and forced them to play our tempo." Dallas had allowed 128 and 123 points in its previous two games. Offensively, the Mavericks set a season-high for points scored. "This is the way we have to play," Pack said. "We've got to be aggressive, force the action on defense, and that's what we did tonight. We have those type of players who like to get up and down the court." Chris Gatling scored 31 points to lead the Magic. Darrell Armstrong added 29 points and Monty Williams had 18 for Orlando, which had won three of its previous four. Orlando shot 52.9 percent from the field but couldn't overcome 28 turnovers that led to 40 points. "I don't know if I've ever heard of a game where you can shoot 53 percent and lose," said Magic coach Doc Rivers. "Our goal going into the game was to limit their easy layups, but they had a layup drill due to our turnovers. I thought we could outrun them and we did until we started turning the ball over." Steve Nash's 3-pointer with 8:35 left gave the Mavericks a 101-98 lead, and Dallas did not trail again. After Williams' basket pulled the Magic within one, Dallas went on a 9-0 run, including consecutive field goals by Finley. Pack's three-point play with 6:59 to play extended Dallas' lead to 110-100 with 7:12 remaining. Nash and Strickland made 3-pointers to push the Mavericks' advantage to 118-107 with under two minutes remaining. Armstrong's 3-pointer with 1:15 left pulled Orlando within 118-112, but that was as close as the Magic would get. In the second quarter, Gatling went 7-for-8 from the field and made all seven free throws as the Magic took a 67-56 halftime lead. "I think we stopped running, that was the key," said Gatling. "We stopped being aggressive and we didn't play smart down the stretch. I don't think we stuck to our game plan." The Mavericks closed the third quarter with a 7-1 spurt capped by Strickland's dunk with 1.8 seconds left to tie the game at 89 entering the final quarter. Game notesOrlando shot 65.2 percent from the field in the second quarter (15-for-23), outscoring Dallas 35-26. ... Gatling had 22 points in the first half. ... Mavericks center Shawn Bradley fouled out with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. Bradley played only 18 minutes with seven points and two rebounds. Bradley did have six blocked shots. ... Dallas has been outrebounded in all seven games. ... Strickland, Pack, Gatling, Williams and Armstrong all set season-highs for points. ... Orlando was played its third game in four nights. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Orlando Clubhouse Dallas Clubhouse RECAPS Indiana 105 Washington 83
Dallas 125
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