The Magic accomplished something the franchise hadn’t done in more than three years Thursday night at Kia Center.
Although it required a clutch 3-pointer from Jalen Suggs with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter and a dunk from Wendell Carter Jr. with 1.4 seconds left on the clock, Jamahl Mosley‘s squad survived, 115-114, against the Mavericks.
The Magic last beat Dallas on Nov. 9, 2022 during Paolo Banchero‘s rookie season. Despite doing it by the slimmest of margins, Orlando snapped a four-game losing streak against the Western Conference opponent.
“It feels good to get a win against them,” Banchero said in the locker room after the one-point victory. “They’ve definitely had our number since I’ve been here. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a win against Dallas.
“So, even though it was last second, we’ll take it for sure,” he added.
Winning in the last second has become almost normal for Orlando this season.
With their latest victory, the Magic improved to 11-3 in games decided by three points or less. Entering Friday’s slate of games, the 11 wins were the most in the NBA and just one short of the franchise record (12; set in 1995-96).
Orlando’s 11th win by three points or less almost didn’t happen, when the Magic found themselves trailing by 14 points in the first half and later by four points with 37.3 seconds left in the game.
And yet, Orlando overcame those circumstances late to remain right in the thick of a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Following a timeout, Suggs drilled a 3-pointer to cut Orlando’s deficit to one point with 32.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter. After No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg missed a jumper with 8.7 seconds remaining, Suggs took the ball down the court and passed it to Carter, who slammed down the go-ahead basket.
The Mavericks weren’t able to get off a shot as the buzzer sounded.
Orlando’s confidence never wavered.
“They went up four, we called a timeout and Desmond (Bane) told me that we were going to win the game,” Banchero said. “Obviously, Jalen making two huge plays to win the game, passing to Wendell for the dunk, shows the attitude that we had.
“We never felt like we were going to lose the game, even though (we were) down four with 37 seconds left,” he added.
After completing two comebacks this week, first Tuesday against the Wizards and then Thursday against the Mavericks, Orlando’s margin for error shrinks significantly when the team travels on the first night of a back-to-back Saturday at Minnesota.
The Timberwolves (40-23) have more than wins than 16-win Washington and 21-win Dallas combined.
Starting off stronger would help the Magic avoid falling down early on the road.
“More energy probably,” Banchero said when asked what needs to happen to start games off better. “Honestly, we’ve been coming out pretty flat at home. I don’t know why that is but it seems like it’s been a trend for us.
“So, we’ve got to find a way to be better at the start,” he added.
But as the old adage goes, it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
Entering Friday, the Magic were tied with the 76ers for the most fourth-quarter comebacks (17) this season.
“Well, I think there (are) lessons you learn in it,” Mosley said about Orlando’s latest thriller. “Because we made some mistakes before that. But that’s the beauty of the game, that you have to play 48 minutes. If we’re saying anything about the game, it has to be that — that you play 48 minutes all the way through no matter what the heck is happening.”
Whether it’s by 10 points or by just one, the Magic need every win they can get with the regular season starting to wind down. Orlando (33-28) entered Friday just half-a-game back of No. 6 Philadelphia, but in a virtual tie with No. 8 Miami and only two games ahead of No. 9 Charlotte and No. 10 Atlanta.
“We’re in a tight race in the standings,” Banchero said. “A loss (Thursday night) would have really hurt, so (I’m) glad we won. Every game counts from this point forward.”
He’d by lying if he said he doesn’t keep up with the East standings more than two-thirds into the regular season.
“Shoot, I’m looking every day almost,” Banchero said. “Charlotte’s a hot team right now, been watching Charlotte. They’re playing at a really high level and I think they’re at the 9-seed. And obviously, (we’re a) half-game behind Philadelphia.
“So, you just pay close attention to it, but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to come out one game at a time and try to get a win.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic at Timberwolves
When: 3 p.m., Saturday, Target Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, Amazon Prime Video