Mavs Find Magic in Orlando

Who would have imagined that the Mavericks could go on a 19-0 run against the Orlando Magic with their MVP Dirk Nowitzki sitting on the bench? Certainly not me, but that's exactly what happened last night during a four-plus-minute stretch that spanned the closing moments of the third quarter and the opening of the final frame, eventually leading to the Mavericks 95-85 victory over the Magic at Amway Arena. The Mavericks are the first Western Conference team to win in Orlando this season.

For the second game in a row, Jason Kidd was the star of the show. Kidd was all over the place, making things happen for the Mavericks on both ends of the floor. Although Dirk led the team in scoring with 23 points, it was once again J-Kidd who came up big in crunch time, closing the door on the Magic for good. Late in the fourth quarter, he nailed a three pointer and on the very next play, he found Jason Terry in the lane under the goal with a beautiful cutting pass that resulted in an easy basket. Kidd was also the second defender on Orlando's Dwight Howard for the better part of the game, running at him from anywhere and everywhere on the court.

Despite two early fouls, Brendan Haywood helped keep Dwight Howard at bay for much of the game, forcing Howard to alter his shot on several occasions. Eduardo Najera, although not as large as Haywood, also managed to keep Howard from running rampant in the lane against the Mavs. Caron Butler showed why he is a great addition to the Mavericks' roster when he scored on back to back plays, first moving baseline under the basket and then hitting a jumper the next time down the court. And Jason Terry, who hadn't been shooting well of late, dialed it up a notch in the fourth quarter, the time of the game when he loves to shine.

Not only was the offense clicking, but for the third game in a row (not counting the second quarter against OKC on Tuesday), the Mavericks seemed to find their way again on the defensive end of the floor as well. Maybe it's the fresh faces in the locker room who have a burning desire to win, or maybe the Mavericks finally realized that in the ever tightening playoff race in the West, every game matters. Whatever the reason, the Mavs seemed to recapture the sense of urgency on defense that hadn't been since since 2009. The Mavs as a team played hellacious defense during the fourth quarter, holding Orlando to 25% shooting. The Magic, who are one of the better three point shooting teams in the league, were held to 16% from three point range, hitting only 4-of-25 shots.

Prior to the All-Star break last week, the Mavericks had lost five of their last seven games, with the only victories coming over the lowly Golden State Warriors. Victories at home against the Suns and in Orlando have given the Mavs their first back-to-back wins since the last week of January. It really seems like things are starting to come together for these Mavericks, and their future is looking bright. We'll see what happens when the Mavs face off against their old nemesis the Miami Heat (minus the injured Dwyane Wade) tonight at the AAC, marking their fourth game in five nights. If the Mavericks can pull out a victory, it would be a rather remarkable feat, considering they've had little to no time to practice, due to their hectic schedule, since the three new players came over in the trade. A win tonight would give the Mavericks a 3-1 record during that span, which leaves one wondering just how well this team will fare when the players have had a little more time to come together and create their own chemistry.