ORLANDO – If it’s clutch time, that means it’s winning time for the Mavericks.
Thus far in this young NBA season, the Mavs have found themselves mired in a clutch game on six different occasions. And in all six games, the Mavs somehow found a way to pull multiple rabbits out of their hats and come out victorious.
Clutch Win No. 6 came Monday night when the Mavs fell behind the Orlando Magic by 15 points in the first half, but rallied in time to get out of the Amway Center with a 117-102 victory. And Clutch Win No. 6 came one night after Clutch Win No. 5, which was the Mavs’ 124-118 triumph at home over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
In the game against the Hornets, the Mavs trailed by 12 points at halftime before putting on their rally caps and emerging with a win. Against the Magic, the Mavs trailed by 13 points (66-53) at intermission before stepping on the gas and motoring their way to another win.
According to Elias, it’s the first time in Mavs’ franchise history that they’ve trailed by as many as 12 points in games on consecutive nights and rallied to win both of those games.
“We’re setting records,” coach Jason Kidd said.
The Mavs also are setting a standard that has put the rest of the NBA on notice. In essence, the Mavs have proven that they know how to successfully fight themselves out of a tight jam.
Dallas trailed Orlando, 63-48, late in the second quarter when absolutely nothing was going the Mavs’ way. But, as if the Mavs magically flipped a light switch and saw light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, Dallas stormed out of the halftime dressing room and put a choke hold on the Magic that had them gasping for air.
After Orlando shot a red-hot 59.1 percent from the field in mounting a 66-53 lead at intermission, the Mavs limited the Magic to just 7-of-24 shooting (29.2 percent) in a third quarter which saw Dallas outscore Orlando by a sizeable 33-17 margin.
“(We) just followed the game plan,” said Luka Doncic, who finished with 29 points, six assists and two steals. “Our defense was better, so that was it.”
Explaining what happened in depth, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said: “We didn’t come out with the same amount of pop in that third quarter — that second half. They put their foot on the gas and we allowed shot making or missing to impact our defense, which we know that’s not who we are.
“Whether we’re making or missing shots, our defense has to sit down and guard.”
Speaking of guarding, the Magic were unable to defend Kyrie Irving and Doncic when the outcome was still in doubt. Behind seven points from Doncic and another six from Irving, that dynamic duo tallied the Mavs’ final 13 points of the game on a variety of baskets.
During one quick sequence, Irving drained a three-pointer via a feed from Doncic. And on the ensuing trip up the floor, Doncic drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Irving, which put the Mavs ahead, 114-110, with 1:51 left and all but sealed this game.
Earlier, clutch time came as the Mavs led, 102-97, with under five minutes remaining in the game following a three-point play from Irving. Clutch time is when a game is within five points or less with under five minutes to go in the contest.
So far this season, that seems to be a signal for the Mavs to take off and do some damage, considering they have more clutch wins this season than any other team.
“When I signed back here (during free agency this past summer) I knew that my role was going to be different than it was on other teams, and even last year,” said Irving, who had 21 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. “I knew one thing for certain, down the stretch I was going to have to maintain my poise and make sure that the guys knew they could look to me emotionally (and) mentally just for that reassurance that we’re OK.
“When you’re dealing with some type of adversity where the game’s not going your way, or the basketball’s not going in the rim, or guys are missing assignments, you’ve got to still be able to collect yourself. I think this year we’re really galvanizing each other and holding each other accountable during those tough situations, which helps our chemistry.”
Tim Hardaway Jr. came off the bench to pour in 21 points on 8-of-16 shots to help with the Mavs’ chemistry. And Grant Williams (13 points) and rookie Dereck Lively II (10 points, five boards) added some spice, with Lively shaking off early foul problems to record a pair of three-point plays in the third quarter.
“He’s going to get better as we go forward,” Kidd said. “But again, he’s got great hands and being able to finish with the fouls and knock down the free throws was big, because we’re down and we’re fighting, and I think it just helps with the perimeter when you have someone like D- Live that can catch and finish.
“Then, it just opens up everything. Again, he’s going to make some mistakes, but I thought he did a great job.”
Hardaway also did a great job.
“I think for the most part we just made sure we locked in on the game plan, and made sure that we made them just take more contested shots,” Hardaway said. “We collapsed the paint a little bit more. A lot of their shots were coming in the paint in the first half.
“We just tried to do a better job of just playing with more a little bit more energy and resistance.”
Because the Mavs played the second half with a little bit more energy and resistance, they’ll take a very impressive 6-1 record into Wednesday’s home game against the Toronto Raptors.
“Doncic and Irving) went out there and played at a high level, and I thought the rest of the team did the same,” Kidd said. “But we’re just taking it one game at a time. Everyone played (and) everyone participated — put us in a position to win.
“So, now we’ve got a day off to regroup. And we’ve got a home stand with Toronto and I think the (Los Angeles) Clippers (on Friday). So, we’re just going to take one game at a time.”