Mavs Game Observations: Game 6 vs Magic

Well begun is half done

Photo by Sam Hodde / Getty Images

After the disappointment in their first game of the five-game homestand against the Houston Rockets, the Mavericks got back on track, taking care of business on their second try with a decisive 108-85 win over the depleted Orlando Magic. Even better, they got the job done early, building a 25-point lead by halftime that allowed them to cruise through the rest of the game and rest their stars in the fourth quarter.

That added rest will be valuable, as there’s no time for Dallas to relax—the team faces a quick turnaround with a second night of a back-to-back against a rested and motivated Indiana Pacers team tonight.

Tonight’s matchup, featuring old friend Rick Carlisle, promises plenty of extra flair, which is why I selected it as the Game of the Week.

A preview for the Pacers game will be up later this afternoon.

If you’re new here, Game of the Week previews and post-game notes are fully available for everyone. For other games, some insights will be exclusive to paid subscribers, so if you’re able, please consider upgrading to support the work!

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Today’s notes:

1. What a difference a Luka makes...

2. Proven and tested defensive game plan

3. Jason Kidd’s ongoing rotation experiments

4. Naji Marshall: the Swiss-Army knife connector (🎞️VIDEO)

5. Gafford's and Lively's bounce back game

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1-What a difference a Luka makes...

I cautiously hinted at this game script in my preview—the Mavericks needed to win this in their old-fashioned way: controlling the pace, keeping the energetic, young Magic in check, and making it a half-court game. Without their main star, Paolo Banchero, Orlando simply doesn’t have enough shot creation or playmaking to keep up with Dallas.

Why cautiously? Because an old-fashioned Mavericks win requires the good old Luka Dončić, dominating. Dončić, who struggled to establish himself early in prior games, definitely found his rhythm in this one and we finally saw the first-quarter explosion we’re so accustomed to from the past few seasons. Dončić scored 14 points in the opening period and kept the momentum going in the second, finishing the first half with 25 points—matching the Mavericks' lead and essentially sealing the game by halftime.

Dončić scored against every defender his old mentor Jamahl Mosley threw at him, whether it was the length of Franz Wagner, his bigger brother Moritz, or all-defense caliber defenders like Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac.

2-Proven and tested defensive game plan

Another element that wasn’t hard to predict in the preview was the Mavericks’ defensive game plan. We saw it in last year’s matchup against the Magic, and it became even more evident with Banchero sitting out. Dallas switched every pick-and-roll involving Franz Wagner, forcing him to try to create in isolation but always had a big man ready to ensure his teammates weren’t left defending on an island. This led to many contested shots in the paint—Orlando went 18 of 40 there, with Franz going 5 of 13—and plenty of open threes for shooters the Mavericks helped off.

The "weak links"—Wendell Carter Jr., Moritz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, and Tristan da Silva—went 0-of-8 from three in the first half, and the Magic finished the night 1-of-14 from the corner. It was another game that served as a testament: teams forced to play weak shooters or lacking great spacing will have a hard time scoring against this Mavericks defense.

3-Jason Kidd’s ongoing rotation experiments

The Mavericks’ depth provides plenty of options—but also plenty of different looks for Jason Kidd to try and work through during the regular season. We saw a few rotation tweaks last night:

• Dončić played the entire first quarter. We’ll see if this signals a return to his old rotation pattern of playing the whole first quarter before resting at the start of the second, or if it was just because he was in rhythm last night.

• Naji Marshall was the first guard/wing off the bench (more on this in the next point).

• A four-guard plus a center lineup, featuring Irving, Dinwiddie, Grimes, Thompson, and Lively, started the second quarter.

• Dinwiddie and Grimes received all of the non-garbage time bench guard minutes, while Jaden Hardy fell out of the rotation (he didn’t play in the first half and only saw garbage time in the second).

With Dončić setting the tone early and the Mavericks’ offense clicking, there was less need for scoring, which allowed Marshall to see an increase in minutes. After averaging fewer than eight first-half minutes over the first five games, Naji logged more than 18 last night, providing the defensive boost expected from him after his offseason signing.

4-Naji Marshall: the Swiss-Army knife connector (🎞️VIDEO)

Marshall had another highly impactful defensive game, using his great hands to generate steals. But his extended minutes last night were due to flashes of his versatile offensive game. My Marshall 2024-25 Player Card article remains the most-read piece on this website, largely because fans were enamored with Marshall’s unusual, “I-can-do-a-bit-of-everything” offensive style—not something typically seen in the Mavs' three-and-D role players.

Last night, we saw the best version of “Naji as a connecting ball-handler” (he’s up and down, so there will be rougher nights…).