Game 35: Magic vs. Mavericks GameThread

Who: Dallas Mavericks (16-16) at Orlando Magic (13-21)
When: Monday, March 1st, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
TV: Fox Sports Florida
Line: Orlando +6, O/U: 221
Injuries: Dallas - Porzingis (back - PROBABLE); Orlando - Anthony (rib - OUT), Ennis (calf - OUT), Fultz (knee - OUT), Gordon (ankle - OUT), Isaac (knee - OUT)
L10: Dallas (7-3), Orlando (4-6)

Quotes from Coach Clifford

“Yeah, it sucks - plus he’s done a really good job. There’s so much that goes into coaching at any level. I think in our league (obviously), they’re all great players. Hubie Brown told me my first year ‘you better understand that they all (NBA players) are a big deal somewhere’. They are all stars, your 15th man is a big deal somewhere. You better know how to deal with each one of them, if not - it could get you fired (there’s so much that goes into it). The hard thing is, it’s a rebuild - rebuilds are difficult. He started from scratch there, and he’s done a really good job. Last year, in my opinion, if John Collins doesn’t miss all those games - they’re probably a playoff team (or they would’ve been right there).” ~ Clifford on former Atlanta head coach Lloyd Pierce, who was fired by the Hawks earlier this evening.

“In that game, two of the biggest factors were, when we did bring two to the ball, Doncic drilled us. We blitzed him and they (Dallas) ended up with a lot of open three’s (which they made). And then the other one is, Hardaway Jr. had a great game - which he can do. He’s a very good offensive player, he has many ways in which he can score, and we never got him under control in that game. You know (the guys you just talked about), I think Kleber in 44 percent from three. Hardaway Jr. is (like) 42 percent from three. And going back here, Burke has given us trouble ever since he’s been in the league, back when I was in Charlotte and (he had a big game) this year.” ~ Clifford on Dallas perimeter shooting attack and the first matchup between the Magic and Mavericks earlier this season.

If you haven’t already checked this piece out, I wrote at length about missed opportunities Orlando failed to capitalize on in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Please leave your pregame and in-game comments below. Feel free to follow us on Twitter at @OPPMagicBlog. And as always, enjoy!