Mavericks 108 Magic 100: Game 10 Review

Early on his career DeJuan Blair seemed to be a future cornerstone of the Spurs. A 2nd round steal out of Pitt, Blair was a big contributor that looked to be part of a young core that would surround the old stalwarts for years to come. Then  for whatever reason he fell out of the favor with Gregg Popovich and the organization, to the point that he was relegated to garbage time duty in last year's playoffs. He signed a one year deal with the Mavericks this off-season, hoping to re-establish his value in the league and once again contribute to a winning team. Through ten games Blair has definitely done that, if not much more.

Blair's 18 points on 7-9 shooting keyed the Mavs 108-100 road victory over the Orlando Magic. Blair was among 6 Mavs in double figures in a strong offensive performance as the team 51% from the field and went 10-27 from three point range. Although the Magic also shot over 50% they turned it over 19 times to the Mavericks 10, a vast improvement from the night before when the Mavs turned it over 24 times in Miami.

The Mavericks took a 31-24 lead after the first, a lead they would never relinquish. They pushed the lead to 13 at the half, and though Orlando made a second push cutting the lead to 4 at one point, the Mavs always had the answer.

Monta Ellis led Dallas in scoring with 19 points and chipped in 8 assists continuing his strong play to start the season. Dirk had 18 points, and had his second straight excellent shooting game going 6-12 from the floor and 4-6 on threes and hitting a key 3 point dagger to make it a 9 point game with less than 3 minutes to go. Jose Calderon played a strong all-round game as well scoring 11 points but more importantly adding 9 assists to zero turnovers. Vince Carter gave the Mavs 12 points off the bench, while Shawn Marion scored 11 including hitting 2 threes.

Arron Afflalo led Orlando with 25 points, followed by Nikola Vuvevic's 16 points and Jameer Nelson's 15. Curiously Nelson sat out the entire fourth quarter, replaced at the point by promising rookie Victor Oladipo who committed 9 turnovers.

At 6-4 through 10 games the Mavs should feel good about where they are considering the tough road games and numerous back-to-backs they have had to play. A big part of that start has been the play of Blair, a undersized big man who makes up for his lack of height with a lot of tenacity and toughness.

Team Leaders
Points: Ellis, 19
Rebounds: Marion, 8
Assists: Calderon, 9

Player of the Game: Blair

Stat of the Game: 3 Point FGs: Mavs 10-27, Magic 4-15

Quote of Note: "They gave me the confidence just to come in and play my game. I accepted my role, every responsibility I have. I try to play up to the best of my ability. I try to keep the faith and know that I can still play in this game. I think I'm showing it. I've just got to be consistent with it."
DeJuan Blair


Next Up: The Mavericks (6-4) return home to begin a three game homestand when they face the surprising Philadelphia 76ers (5-6) Monday at 7:30.