Barnes, Brunson lead Mavericks past Magic 101-76

DALLAS (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 19 points, rookie Jalen Brunson added 17 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Orlando Magic 101-76 on Monday night.

Brunson got the start at point guard in place of injured Dennis Smith Jr. (right wrist sprain) and reached a career high in points. He has scored in double figures in each of the Mavs’ last three games.

Luka Doncic had 11 rebounds and a season-high nine assists to offset a 2-for-11 shooting performance, finishing with seven points. Dwight Powell had 16 for the Mavericks.

Dallas never trailed in winning its 10th straight at home for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Mavericks led by as many as 28 in the fourth quarter.

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Jonathon Simmons had a season-high 18 for the Magic and Aaron Gordon scored 10. Orlando played without Evan Fournier, who missed the game for personal reasons.

Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic played 26 minutes despite turning his ankle during a loss Friday against Indiana. He scored just eight but had 16 rebounds.

Brunson was 5 for 5 from the field in the first half and scored 11 points, as did Barnes, who had the Mavericks’ final eight to give Dallas a 52-40 lead at halftime.

Brunson then gave Dallas a 61-44 lead with a 3 from the right corner with 9:05 left in the third quarter. They extended the lead to 22 by the end of the period.

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TIP-INS

Magic: Coach Steve Clifford did not detail the reasons for Fournier’s absence, but said, “It’s totally excused.” Jonathan Isaac started in Fournier’s spot. Clifford didn’t know whether Fournier would miss more games. . Rookie Mo Bamba, who had played in all 26 previous games, was a DNP-Coach’s Decision on Monday.

Mavericks: Coach Rick Carlisle on the decision to start Brunson in place of the injured Smith in the last two games: “He earned that opportunity based on his play through the first two months along with how he played in the New Orleans game (a 132-106 loss). He played a very solid game even though it was a blowout.”

IT’S BEEN A WHILE

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For perspective on how long it has been since Dallas won 10 games in a row at home, consider that the 2007-08 season was the last one the Mavericks were coached by someone other than Carlisle, who took over for Avery Johnson after that season.

The Mavericks’ final loss of that regular season came against the Seattle SuperSonics, led by then-rookie Kevin Durant. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City after that season.

UP NEXT

Magic: Travel to Mexico City to play Chicago on Thursday and Utah on Saturday. Both are Magic home games.

Mavericks: Host Atlanta on Wednesday.

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