The Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks have been two of the teams that have defined the 2025 NBA offseason. The Magic made the first flashy move of the summer, dealing for Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Mavericks lucked into the first overall pick in the draft and selected Cooper Flagg.
Neither will play tonight when Orlando and Dallas match up for 4 p.m. ET NBA Summer League action: Bane is a veteran, and Flagg, like Zaccharie Risacher and Victor Wembanyama before him, was shut down after just two games.
The Magic are 5.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook (-250 on the Moneyline), with the point total set for 171.5. Dallas is +205 on the Moneyline. Below, I’ll preview each team and offer a prediction.
Mavericks-Magic Roster Breakdown
The Mavericks shut Flagg down after he out-dueled second overall pick Dylan Harper in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Dallas’ second Summer League game, and since then, they’ve fairly handily lost both games, dropping decisions to the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers by a combined 24 points. Their best player across those two games has been Maxwell Lewis, who scored nine points in 14 minutes against the Hornets and 23 points in 28 minutes against the 76ers two nights later, though the latter defeat also came without Ryan Nembhard, who’s been a standout performer, averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 assists per game so far.
Orlando, meanwhile, is one of just three teams yet to pick up a win, though it has a better point differential than either the Houston Rockets or the New Orleans Pelicans. Tristan da Silva, who averaged 7.2 points per game in 74 appearances (38 starts) for the Magic last season, headlines the roster, along with 25th overall pick Jase Richardson. But da Silva and Richardson have both sat out each of the last two games after promising starts to the Summer League, indicating that Orlando has quietly shut both of them down. Without them, Wendell Moore Jr., who’s averaged an inefficient 2.3 points per game in his first three seasons of NBA action, is the lead option.
Mavericks vs. Magic Pick
Under 171.5 (-110)
With both of these teams eliminated from competing for a Summer League title and the top players from each team sitting, this game could be pretty ugly. Both teams have ranked in the bottom five in scoring so far, and that includes six total games from Flagg, da Silva, and Richardson, and the Magic, just like they did in the regular season, have been active defensively, recording tons of blocks and steals. The Mavericks rank second-to-last in field goal percentage, and I can’t imagine they’ll get any better without Nembhard (presumably) to set the table.
