Ross, Vucevic lead Magic over Mavericks 111-106

Steve Clifford and the Magic were far from satisfied after a victory over the struggling Dallas Mavericks.

"If they shoot the ball the way they normally do, we lose this game," the Orlando coach said after the 111-106 victory Friday night. "We got outplayed. They just didn't shoot the ball as well as we did."

Terrence Ross scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Magic to their 11th win in 16 games and keeping them right on the edge of an Eastern Conference playoff berth. They have not qualified for the playoffs since 2012.

Orlando Magic guard D.J. Augustin (14) lays the ball up next to Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

"We just played sloppy, defensively, offensively, (no) taking care of the ball," said Aaron Gordon, who scored 18 points and blocked three shots. "We just weren't locked in. He (Clifford) expects more from us and we expect more from ourselves."

Orlando shot .483 percent overall, compared to Dallas' .472. But the big difference was in 3-point shooting as the Magic shot .483 to the Mavericks' .294.

"We won tonight, but it wasn't a good enough performance," Evan Fournier said. "It wasn't satisfying. It doesn't feel like a great win. We have to play better."

Dallas Mavericks guard Courtney Lee dunks during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against Orlando Magic in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

Luka Doncic had 24 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, which has lost four straight and nine of 10. Jalen Brunson added 18 points and nine assists.

Dirk Nowitzki scored nine points in the fourth quarter and finished with 15, matching his season high in his 21st and final NBA season.

The Magic took a 19-point into the fourth quarter before Nowitzki and Doncic led a late charge to get the Mavericks back in the game in the final two minutes.

Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) drives to the basket on Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

"When you get down 19 at any point in an NBA game, the odds of coming back and winning are very difficult, especially on the road," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "You've either got to play close or play from the front. We had a poor start. Second half we did better, but we've got to stay in the fight."

Ross made four 3-pointers in the first half and the Magic made eight of 15, taking an 18-point lead on a three-point play by Gordon in the final seconds of the half.

Doncic scored three baskets on the Mavericks' 16-7 run to start the second half, reducing Orlando's lead to six. But Jonathan Isaac, Vucevic and Ross answered with 3-pointers in a span of 52 seconds and the Magic's lead was back up to 19 by the end of the third quarter.

Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic (77) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Wesley Iwundu (25) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Nowitzki got a standing ovation when he entered the game with 2:09 left in the first quarter. It was the 1,505th regular-season game of his career. ... Dallas has given up 101 or more points in 12 straight games, an average of 116.4 per game. ... The Mavericks beat the Magic by 25 points on Dec. 10.

Magic: An MRI revealed that G Isaiah Briscoe has a torn right meniscus. Briscoe will see a doctor before deciding whether to have surgery. "I'll have to evaluate the long-term possibilities," he said. ... Friday night's game was the first of seven straight against losing teams. ... The crowd of 19,196 was the ninth-largest in franchise history.

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) blocks the shot of Dallas Mavericks center Salah Mejri (50) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Host Houston on Sunday night.

Magic: At Memphis on Sunday night.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Dallas Mavericks center Salah Mejri (50) dunks in front of Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and forward Wesley Iwundu (25) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) drives to the basket as Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. (AP PhotoWillie J. Allen Jr.)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first playoff victory since 2019 and the first on their home floor since April 26, 2011.

They can even the series with a victory at home Sunday.

Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 39% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists.

76ERS 125, KNICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2.

With one of the finest postseason efforts of his career, Embiid became the third player to ever score 50 points against the Knicks in the postseason and kept the hope of a Philadelphia series comeback very much alive.

The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor overall, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.

NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Denver moved to the brink of the second round with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series..

Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the defending NBA champion Nuggets won their 11th consecutive meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers in dominating style.

Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) makes a shot as he gets past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)