Jaden Hardy scored 22 points and Anthony Davis added 15 to go along with seven rebounds, fueling the visiting Dallas Mavericks to a 101-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday.
Hardy sank 7 of 12 shots from the floor — and 5 of 6 from 3-point range — to lift the Mavericks to their third win in their last four games and keep them in the thick of the Western Conference play-in race.
Davis made just 5 of 19 shots in his return from a one-game absence as he works his way back from an adductor issue.
Brandon Williams scored 14 points and Klay Thompson and Max Christie each had 12 for the Mavericks (36-38), who changed the complexion of the game by erupting for a 20-2 run to end the third quarter.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero finished with 35 points to eclipse the 30-point plateau for the fifth straight game. He also had 10 rebounds as the Magic remained in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference play-in race.
Franz Wagner recorded 20 points and nine rebounds and Anthony Black added 14 off the bench for the Magic (35-39), who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Banchero’s dunk gave Orlando a 68-57 lead in the third before Dallas scored 17 in a row and 20 of the final 22 points of the quarter. Hardy sank three 3-pointers during the spirited stretch and Davis connected from beyond the arc.
Wagner made a pair of baskets to draw the Magic to within three at 82-79 before the Mavericks went on a 10-1 run. Christie and Thompson each drained a 3-pointer during that run.
Hardy sank his fifth 3-pointer to stake Dallas to a 97-88 lead with 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter to effectively seal the win.
Banchero scored 17 of Orlando’s 33 points in the second quarter to give his team a 50-43 lead at halftime. He exploited the interior for four quick buckets during the Magic’s 14-5 run to start the second, and he sank three foul shots to cap an 11-2 run to end the quarter.
Dallas center Kai Jones sustained a left hip contusion following a hard fall on an alley-oop in the first quarter. He did not return to the contest.
–Field Level Media
