"Mavericks dominate Magic with Luka Doncic leading the way in NBA recap"
Luka Doncic tallied 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just 32 minutes of play as the Dallas Mavericks easily defeated the Orlando Magic 108-85 on Sunday.
Daniel Gafford had a season-high 18 points, Kyrie Irving contributed 17, and Dereck Lively II recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas. The Mavericks dominated the first half, outscoring the Magic 35-18 in the second quarter and taking a commanding 65-40 lead at halftime.
Dallas continued to dominate in the second half, extending their lead to 82-52 on a free throw by Doncic with just over six minutes left in the third quarter.
Orlando suffered their third consecutive loss and dropped to 0-2 without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who is out indefinitely with a torn right oblique. Franz Wagner led the Magic with 13 points, while Jett Howard and Jalen Suggs each scored 12 and Moritz Wagner added 10.
In other NBA action, the Pistons defeated the Nets 106-92 behind 19 points from Cade Cunningham and 18 points from Tobias Harris. The Hawks also picked up a win, with Jalen Johnson scoring a career-high 29 points and Trae Young recording a double-double of 23 points and 12 assists in a 126-111 victory over the Pelicans.
Despite a strong performance from Cameron Johnson, who scored 26 points in the first half, the Nets were unable to secure their third straight win and move above .500. Johnson was the only player to score in double figures for Brooklyn, while the Hawks had six players score in double digits, including former Pelicans Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 32 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Hawks' balanced scoring attack. New Orleans also played without star forward Zion Williamson, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.