The Dallas Mavericks opened the first night of a back-to-back at home against the short-handed Orlando Magic, who were playing without their rising star Paolo Banchero. With him out of the lineup, Dallas didn’t have many excuses to drop this game and needed a win after their disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets on Halloween night.

Without Banchero, the Magic deployed Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, rookie Tristan da Silva and Wendell Carter Jr. Carter was a game decision with knee tendonitis. Dallas started its usual five of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford.

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The Mavericks wanted to start quickly offensively. In five games this season, they have yet to score 30 points in a first quarter. Gafford had six of Dallas’ first eight points, but Orlando took an early lead. After four minutes of play, the Magic led 15-8.

A layup by Naji Marshall with a few minutes left in the period gave the Mavs the first lead of the game, 20-19; then he fed Derek Lively II on an alley-oop to extend the lead to three. Luka Doncic got off to a better start than recently, with 14 points on 5/9 shooting. Dallas also had its first opening period of the season, taking a 30-22 lead into the second.

Kyrie Irving started the second quarter with a contested corner three to push the lead to double digits, and Quentin Grimes followed up with a three from the opposite corner to cap a 13-0 run. The offense shut down for a few minutes afterward, with Doncic on the bench. Once he returned, the offense picked up while the defense remained locked in as they went up 22 after a Doncic pull-up three.

Orlando simply couldn’t maintain a consistent offense without Banchero. Every possession was a struggle to get a clean shot, and even when it was open, they didn’t convert. The Magic were down 25 points at halftime, facing a 65-40 deficit. Doncic had 25 points himself, finally getting the hot start we’ve been waiting for, while no one for Orlando had more than eight.

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The Mavericks decided to involve Klay Thompson more in the second half with the score already out of control. They gave him the opportunity to handle the ball in pick-and-rolls, and he hit mid-range shots at a high rate, something you don’t see often in the NBA anymore. Daniel Gafford was also the subject of many point-blank glances. Wendell Carter left the game with the knee pain he was dealing with, leaving Mo Wagner and Jonathan Isaac as the Magic’s centers, and Dallas began to take advantage of the glass. A Doncic free throw following a few offensive rebounds gave the Mavs a 30-point lead midway through the third.

Even though Dallas’ offense stalled in the third and they began to slow down, they were still stuck on defense, limiting Orlando to 61 points in three quarters and holding a 27-point lead.

Klay Thompson didn’t make his first three-pointer until the first minute of the fourth quarter to put them back within 30 points. Jason Kidd subbed in on the bench with plenty of time remaining, looking to drive toward the finish, and despite the Magic chipping away a bit at the end, the Mavericks would go on to win 108-85.

It was the perfect night to get the starters out early, as it was the first night of a back-to-back and we would be playing the Indiana Pacers tomorrow on the fly. Luka Doncic played 31 minutes and no one else played more than 28.

Luka Doncic’s 25 points in the first half would make the big difference, as he would finish with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Kyrie Irving added 17 points and Daniel Gafford had an efficient night with 18 points and eight rebounds. He and Derek Lively II were excellent in this game, dominating on the glass after being hampered in that area against Houston.

Dallas’ defense held Franz Wagner to just 13 points on 6/15 shooting, and he was their leading scorer before the bench units arrived. Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner had 10 points each.

If there’s one area to nitpick for the Mavericks, they’ve turned it over too many times, albeit against a good defense. Luka Doncic had four turnovers, Daniel Gafford had three and almost every player who checked in had at least one turnover, as they finished with 18 turnovers for the game.

Dallas will play the second straight night at home Monday night against the Indiana Pacers.

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