DALLAS — Following the blueprint to their season-high, six-game homestand to perfection, the Dallas Mavericks secured another blowout of a lottery-bound opponent.
The Mavericks’ 121-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday at American Airlines Center was Dallas’ fourth win in five games, the third win in which they built a 20-point lead. They close out the homestand Friday against the struggling Sacramento Kings, a team they have beaten at home 22 consecutive times dating back to 2004.
Previously on this homestand, the Mavs buried the Philadelphia 76ers by 26 points and trounced the Minnesota Timberwolves by 27. They squeaked out an overtime win against the Denver Nuggets, while their only loss came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, also the lone visitor during the homestand that has a winning record.
The victories are crucial because Dallas is in a pitched battle with the surging Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoff race while desperately trying to close the gap on the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that currently holds the coveted No. 5 seed.
Against the defensively challenged Magic, Dallas used an 11-0 run in the opening six minutes of the third quarter to blow open a game they led by just eight points at halftime. The margin eventually reached 21 before the Mavericks rode a 96-81 cushion into the fourth quarter.
Orlando missed its first eight shots of the third quarter and made just eight of 24 in the period, including going 2-for-14 from the 3-point range.
The Mavs (33-28) shot 55.8 percent on the night. They got a team-high 21 points from guard Wesley Matthews, who was just 1-for-4 from 3-point range but 8-for-12 overall. Forward Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points in 27 minutes, forward Chandler Parsons had 17, center Zaza Pachulia put in 17 points and 10 rebounds, and guard J.J. Barea came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Dallas led 69-61 at halftime, although the Mavs probably felt as if the cushion should have been larger considering they shot 64.9 percent from the floor in the first half, including knocking down five of eight from 3-point range.
Orlando (26-33) bolted out to a 22-12 lead before getting outscored 23-5 to close the first quarter. The Magic fell behind by as many as 10 in the second quarter but stayed within striking range at halftime by shooting 50 percent from the floor (24-for-48) in the first half.
Magic forward Ersan Ilyasova finished with a game-high 22 points off the bench and added 10 rebounds. Center Nikola Vucevic had 18 points, but all of those came in the first half. Guard Elfrid Payton, guard Brandon Jennings and center Dewayne Dedmon had 12 points apiece.
NOTES: The Orlando Magic are expected to aggressively pursue Mavericks F Chandler Parsons, who grew up in Orlando, this summer if Parsons opts out of his contract as expected, according to an ESPN report. … Since the All-Star break, the Mavericks lead the league in 3-point attempts and 3-pointers made. … F Dirk Nowitzki moved into 33rd place on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list during Monday’s game, passing Bill Laimbeer. … Magic F Evan Fournier missed his second consecutive game because of a sore right wrist injury. The hope is he will be ready to play by Friday. Mario Hezonja made the second start of his career in Fournier’s place. … On Feb. 19 at Orlando, the Magic snapped a seven-game losing streak to Dallas dating back to Jan. 8, 2011. … The Magic return home for the second game of a back-to-back Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.