Mavericks 100 - 98 Magic
Final
  for this game

Mavs close out tour of Florida against Magic

Mar 30, 2012 - 2:52 PM

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(Sports Network) - Dallas will finish up a tough two-day tour of the Sunshine State on Friday when they invade the Magic Kingdom to take on Dwight Howard and Orlando.

The reigning NBA champions were picked apart in south Florida on Thursday when LeBron James and Chris Bosh both scored 19 points as the Heat blew past the Mavericks, 106-85, in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals.

Dirk Nowitzki paced all scorers with 25 points, Lamar Odom finished with 12 and Vince Carter and Brandan Wright supplied 11 apiece for Dallas, which saw a two-game winning streak end in its first trip to Miami since hoisting the championship trophy in the city last June.

Mavericks guard Delonte West played for the first time since breaking a finger on Feb. 15. He finished with seven points in just over eight minutes.

"It was disappointing because our start to the third quarter was strong and then they answered back," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "When we started, we had some real momentum. It was a tough loss."

Dallas, which is now 10-15 as the visitor on the season, is currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff hunt.

Orlando, entrenched as the third seed in the East, is also coming off a lopsided loss, a 108-86 setback at the hands of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Jameer Nelson had 17 points and Howard had a rare off night, scoring just 12 points and grabbing only five rebounds for the Magic, who lost for the first time in four games.

"We go into these situations where the ball gets stagnant and it stops," said Nelson. "We stopped moving the ball and shot too many jump shots and not enough guys were attacking."

Orlando has been especially inconsistent lately, going 4-4 over the last eight games, all of which were decided by 10-or-more-points. In the four losses over that span, the Jekyll and Hyde Magic have been out outscored by over 17 points a contest.

The Mavs have won five straight in Orlando, last losing in Central Florida on March 31, 2006.






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