Mavericks smother Magic on defensive end, win 117-92

In their final game of the preseason, the Orlando Magic welcomed a very familiar face back to the Amway Center. Long time point guard Jameer Nelson and the Dallas Mavericks made a stop in town on Friday night for their final tuneup of the regular season. When the final buzzer sounded, the Mavericks found themselves on top 117-92

When introduced, Nelson got a loud round of applause from the fans in attendance. During the games first timeout, the Magic played a tribute video thanking Nelson for his time with the team. Some fans gave Nelson a standing ovation, with everyone in attendance acknowledging Nelson and thanking him for his 10 years with the team.

In the opening quarter, the Magic struggled to find a real groove against the Mavericks zone defense. However, Orlando wrecked havoc of their own on the defensive end, forcing nine Maverick turnovers, turning them into 16 of their 27 points. Birthday boy Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier led the Magic with six, while Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with eight in the opening quarter.

After grabbing their largest lead of the game to that point, up six, the Magic struggled. Behind Nowitzki, the Mavericks finished the half on a 27-10 run to take a 57-46 halftime lead. Orlando struggled with turnovers in the second quarter, turning it over nine times, resulting in 15 Maverick points, while Dallas cleaned up their turnover issues, coughing it up just three times for four Magic points.

Out of halftime, the Mavericks continued their torrid pace on the offensive end. Orlando native Chandler Parsons scored 15 of Dallas' 29 points in the quarter, helping Dallas push the lead to as many as 22 in the quarter. The Magic once again struggled with turnovers, coughing it up eight times, leading to 10 more Maverick points.

With the game all but over, the two sides went back and forth in the fourth quarter. Both teams emptied their benches, letting the clock tick down till the buzzer finally rang.

Orlando was led by Tobias Harris, who finished with 14 points on the night. Fournier built off of his strong opening quarter, finishing with 12 points, while Kyle O'Quinn finished with 12 of his own. Despite turning the ball over six times, Vucevic notched a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Parsons led all scorers on the night, finishing with 24 points. Nowitzki knocked down four three-pointers en route to 16 points. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 13 off the bench, while Monta Ellis scored 11. Jameer Nelson had a strong return of his own, finishing with four points, seven assists and four rebounds.