Game No. 9

Orlando Magic at Mavericks

(7:30 p.m. Saturday, American Airlines Center, Dallas)

TV: Fox Sports Southwest

Radio: ESPN 103.3 FM (Univision 1270 AM, Spanish)

About the Mavericks (4-4): They are riding their first two-game winning streak of the season after the resolute 124-117 overtime victory in Denver on Thursday . . . They are hoping for the return of Trey Burke, who missed the Denver game with an illness that was not believed to be COVID-19 related, coach Rick Carlisle said. Burke had the virus in June . . . However, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Brunson and Josh Richardson are listed as out because of health and safety protocols . . . This is the opener of two games at AAC and the Mavericks better enjoy them. Seven of their following nine are on the road, although with most teams (Mavericks included) not allowing fans to attend yet, this isn’t a bad time to be knocking out road games . . . They won both games against the Magic last season, but were pushed to the limit at AAC before pulling out a 107-106 victory . . . Nicest surprise through eight games has been 3-point shooting of Maxi Kleber and Tim Hardaway, who are combined 42-of-98. The rest of the Mavericks are 61-of-212 (28.8 percent) . . . A few encouraging numbers so far: They are hanging in at 10th in the NBA in defensive efficiency. They also are fifth in the league in free-throws shot at 26.6 per game. The bad news is they are only 15th in free-throw percentage (76.5 percent) . . . The Mavericks are favored by seven points, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.

About the Magic (6-3): They have been one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference so far, although it’s worth noting that two of their wins are against Washington and two more are against Cleveland, neither of whom resemble serious contenders in the East . . . They are coming off a 132-90 blowout loss to Houston on Friday, in which they trailed 62-33 at halftime . . . That performance notwithstanding, the Magic have one very solid asset in their favor. They limit opponents to only 10.1 3-pointers per game (before Friday), which is lowest in the NBA. Foes also are shooting under 33 percent, which doesn’t bode well for the Mavericks, who have had trouble dialing in their shooting eyes so far . . . Nikola Vucevic rates up there with Kristaps Porzingis or anybody else when it comes to stretch-fives. The 7-foot center averages 21 points, 10.5 rebounds and is shooting 44 percent from 3-point land . . . They are fighting major injury problems. Markelle Fultz suffered a torn ACL in their game on Wednesday and is gone for the season. Jonathan Isaac also is gone for the season with a knee injury . . . In addition, Evan Fournier has been battling back problems . . . They have been bringing Terrence Ross off the bench and he’s averaged 20 points per game in the sixth-man role, although the starting lineup will change with Fultz’s injury.

Twitter: @ESefko

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