The situation the Orlando Magic faced toward the end of their win over the Dallas Mavericks was one they were familiar with but hadn’t had much success in until Sunday.
After leading 100-92 with more than eight minutes left in the game, the Magic began to wilt on both ends of the floor and trailed the Mavericks 106-102 with 5:16 remaining. But the Magic didn’t falter, outscoring the Mavericks 8-2 in the final five minutes to secure their third win in four games.
In most games, the Magic would’ve continued to stumble in the clutch: the last five minutes of a game when a team is leading or trailing by 5 points or fewer. They had the league’s second-worst record (5-14) in matchups that had clutch situations entering Sunday — which is why coach Jamahl Mosley lauded the team’s calmness throughout its five-game homestand.
