Mavericks (33-22) at Magic (25-32)
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Place: Amway Center, Orlando
TV: FSSW
Radio: ESPN, 103.3 FM, Univision, 1270 AM (Spanish)
About the Mavs: They’ve been terrific on the road all season with an 18-8 record. However, Orlando has not been kind to them recently, having lost their last four visits to Amway Center. The home team has won 10 consecutive meetings in this series . . . The Mavericks eked out a 107-106 victory over the Magic in Dallas on Nov. 6 despite not scoring in the final 2:30 . . . Luka Doncic had 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in that game . . . Doncic returned from an ankle sprain in the final game before the All-Star break and responded with 33 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists . . . In that game, he and Kristaps Porzingis combined for 60 points and 25 rebounds. The Mavericks hope that is a sign of great things to come . . . After missing a couple games with left knee tightness, Seth Curry returned for the final four games before the break and averaged 19.8 points . . . The Mavericks are starting a stretch in which seven of their next eight opponents have sub-.500 records. Miami will be the only team they see with a winning record . . . This is the opener of back-to-back games. So far, they are 5-4 in the first game, 4-2 on the road . . . If J.J. Barea plays in the game, he will tie Michael Finley for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time games-played list with 626 appearances as a Maverick.
About the Magic. They also are playing their first game after the All-Star break and are in the eighth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference and they have a three-game cushion over ninth-place Washington . . . They have done what many teams thought might be the impossible by resuscitating Markelle Fultz’s career. The former No. 1 overall draft pick by Philadelphia never got traction with the Sixers, but in his first full season of action with the Magic, he’s averaging 11.9 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds, although his 3-point shooting remains far below average at 27 percent . . . Center Nik Vucevic remains one of the most versatile 7-footers in the league, averaging 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He also shoots 34.4 percent from 3-point range and has some playmaking skills as his 3.7 assists per game suggest . . . The Magic were 20-21 in mid-January, but proceeded to lose 10 of their last 14 before the All-Star break. They did close out that stretch with a pair of home wins against Detroit and Atlanta . . . They also have fought injury problems with two starters sidelined indefinitely. Jonathan Isaac, who was off to a very solid start, and former Maverick Al-Farouq Aminu both are out with knee injuries . . . The Magic are 17-17 against Eastern Conference foes, but just 7-14 against the West.
Twitter: @ESefko
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