Mavs-Magic preview: Injuries can change the picture in a hurry

Fragile.

That’s one of the best words to describe the NBA. The Orlando Magic, who will visit American Airlines Center Sunday (6:30 p.m. tipoff) are the latest example of just how unpredictable, and cruel, the league can be.

Jamahl Mosley’s team started the season 3-1 and had one of the brightest young stars in the league playing at a superior level in Paolo Banchero. He was coming off a 50-point showing in a 119-115 victory over Indiana. He missed a triple-double by one assist in that game (he had 13 rebounds).

He had 31 points Wednesday at Chicago, but then suffered a torn oblique muscle in the fourth quarter. He’s out indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks.

This is akin to the Mavericks losing Luka Dončić for an extended time, although the Mavericks are stacked with a bit more talent than the young, rising Magic.

They had averaged 115.5 points in their first four games. They got beat 102-99 in the opener of this road trip when Banchero got injured. At Cleveland on Friday, they fell behind by 18 points after a quarter and never recovered.

Banchero averaged 29 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the first five games. He’ll be missed, clearly.

He was rookie of the year in 2022-23 and made the Eastern Conference all-star team last season, when the Magic made the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

And to see any player go down when things are going well hurts everybody around the league. When one player hurts, they all bleed, to some extent.

“(When) we talk about our goals and aspirations, health is always a huge factor,” said Spencer Dinwiddie, who endured a serious injury that cost him virtually all of the 2020-21 season. “Anything can change a season.

“The way Banchero started out, it looked like he was taking the next step to not just all-star, but all-NBA. He’s got that Carmelo kind of game. It’s sad to see him go down. That’s going to be hard for fellow (Colorado) Buff Jamahl Mosley, their coach. A fellow Maverick as well. But he’s done a great job with that team. They’ll get through it.”

Feeling sorry for the competition is not in anybody’s playbook in the NBA. And the Mavericks know that avoiding serious injury is critical to their success.

That’s part of the reason why they have built a deep roster that can go 11 or 12 deep if necessary.

Dinwiddie is part of that.

“The beauty of it is, hopefully, it leads to extra health and longevity as we go deep into the season,” he said. “Depth doesn’t necessarily matter when it’s time to win. It matters in the buildup of the time to win. What championship team in the Finals plays 11 guys? Nobody, right.

“But if you can do that in the season – and we have an embarrassment of riches in that sense – hopefully Luka (Dončić) is a little bit fresher, Kyrie (Irving) is a little fresher and Klay (Thompson) is a little fresher if and when we get there.”

Here’s a few other things to know about the Mavericks and Magic:

• The Mavericks are coming off a two-day break, rare these days. They played three games in four days and now have a home back-to-back with the Magic and Indiana Pacers on Monday night. When Chicago comes to town on Wednesday, it will mark three consecutive games against Eastern Conference competition. The Mavericks were 19-11 against the East last season and 31-21 against the West.
• The Mavericks have won 12 consecutive games against the Magic at AAC.
• The Magic tentatively will start Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black. Suggs is coming off a 28-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist night at Cleveland.
• The Magic average 25.5 free throws per game, which is fifth in the NBA. That’s worth noting considering the Mavericks’ recent penchant for committing fouls.
• It’s early, but so far the Magic have had a difficult time getting the ball in the basket. They are hitting 44.9 percent overall from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the three-point stripe. Both marks rank 20^th in the league. Suggs is their leading healthy scorer at 18.7 points per game with Wagner just behind at 17.7.

ORLANDO MAGIC (3-3) at MAVERICKS (3-2)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Sunday

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: KFAA, MavsTV Stream.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko