Orlando @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2017 ) Orlando 96, Dallas 99

The Dallas Mavericks aim to defeat Orlando for the 10th time in the past 12 meetings when they host the Magic on Tuesday. Both teams enter with losing streaks as Dallas has lost its past three games while Orlando has dropped four in a row and 13 of its last 14.

The Magic have lost by double digits in seven of their past 14 games and only a 40-point, fourth-quarter uprising kept them from another one on Saturday when they fell 131-127 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Orlando trailed by 20 entering the final period and players pointed to how the team kept fighting as a positive in terms of moving forward. Dallas won a season-best four straight games before the current slide that reached three with Sunday's 100-96 home loss to the New York Knicks. "It's really the same old story. It's an early hole, it's a late rally, and then coming up short," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters afterward. "The bottom line is we've got to be better early in games."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), FS Southwest (Dallas)

ABOUT THE MAGIC (12-28): Forward Aaron Gordon scored 24 of his 30 points in the second half against Cleveland to reach at least 30 for the second time in four games and raise his average to 19.2. Coach Frank Vogel has seen a steady rise in consistency from the 22-year-old, who carried the Magic on his back in the fourth quarter against the Cavaliers. "I liked the fight that we played with, but we've got to play with that the whole game for us to compete and make a push," Gordon told reporters afterward. "My teammates put their trust in me, but we're all just trying to make the right play."

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (13-28): Dallas has lost by a total of 10 points over the past three games on the heels of the four-game winning streak. The defensive effort was a huge issue in two of the losses - allowing 127 points to Chicago and 125 to Golden State - and rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. fingered a reason that will certainly upset Carlisle. "We might have gotten a little too relaxed with our winning streak," Smith told reporters. "We're not coming out with enough intensity on both ends of the court."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Magic have dropped their past five visits to Dallas.

2. Dallas SF Harrison Barnes scored 25 points in the loss to the Knicks and is averaging 22.5 over the past four games.

3. Orlando PG Elfrid Payton scored 20 points against Cleveland for his third-highest output of the season.

PREDICTION: Mavericks 115, Magic 107