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 The victory snapped a nine-game winning streak for the road team in the series, and the Magic lost for the 26th time in 29 games despite a third-quarter surge that put them in front.
The Mavericks put away an Orlando team playing on the second night of a back-to-back with a 17-0 fourth-quarter run that restored the double-digit lead they had in the second quarter.
Carter finished with 14 points and had another burst of key 3-pointers to help Dallas retake the lead. Dirk Nowitzki had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Arron Afflalo led Orlando with 21 points, Maurice Harkness added 20, and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Dallas led 94-90 when Carter hit his fourth 3-pointer, and Nelson and Darren Collison got tangled up on a jump ball on the other end. Nelson ended up leaving with a leg injury, Collison easily won the jump and Carter assisted on a short jumper by Brandan Wright. After a miss by Afflalo, Carter had another assist on a dunk by Wright for a 101-90 Dallas lead.
Carter had his third assist on the run when he stole a pass in the backcourt after an Orlando rebound and flipped the ball behind his back to Marion for a dunk.
Dallas trailed 79-73 when a wild 1-minute sequence ended with the Mavericks in front 80-79. It actually started with a miss by Collison, and Carter tipped the ball toward midcourt, where a scramble ensued. Nelson ended up with the ball and fed J.J. Redick, but his layup was blocked by O.J. Mayo, who went the other way and fed Carter for an alley-oop dunk.
After a miss by Redick, Collison found Carter in transition for a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Collison took it himself after another Orlando miss, got fouled on a drive and hit both free throws to put Dallas ahead 80-79 with 1:06 left in the third.
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E'Twaun Moore hit a 3-pointer to put Orlando ahead 82-80, but Carter answered with another from long range to put Dallas in front for good.
The Magic closed a 16-point deficit in the second quarter to two, capitalizing on a 1-of-16 shooting stretch by the Mavericks after Dallas shot 64 percent in a 42-point first quarter, its highest-scoring quarter of the season.
Redick had a three-point play and another jumper to start Orlando's 21-7 run to get back in the game, but the Magic didn't score again in the first half after two free throws by Vucevic pulled them within 55-53 with 1:06 remaining.
Vucevic had 10 points and eight rebounds in the first half.
Nowitzki ended a stretch of 10 straight misses by Dallas on a jumper with 4.9 seconds left in the half to give the Mavericks a 59-53 lead.
Carter hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Mavericks a 42-30 lead. Both teams shot better than 60 percent, and Brand led eight Dallas scorers with nine points, including seven straight for the Mavericks late in the quarter.
Dallas' previous high for a quarter was 40 in the second quarter against Washington on Nov. 14, and it was the second straight night the Magic allowed their highest-scoring quarter. Charlotte had 37 in the first in a 105-92 win on Tuesday.
NOTES: Mavericks C Chris Kaman was inactive, missing his ninth straight game with a concussion. He was injured when he hit his head on the court during practice Jan. 28. ... The Mavericks observed a moment of silence before the game for Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who died Monday. ... Mavericks C Bernard James, a former staff sergeant in the Air Force, had a video greeting for fans on Dallas' military appreciation day, and 10 new members of the Air Force were sworn in during a timeout.
[Associated
Press; By SCHUYLER DIXON]
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