(SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Mavericks halted their longest losing streak in two years last time out and will try to build momentum Saturday night when they face the Orlando Magic at Amway Center.
Charlie Villanueva scored 20 points and the Mavericks held the Miami Heat to just three points over a nearly 14-minute span in the third and fourth quarters on the way to a 93-72 win on Friday night. The victory ended a four- game losing streak and seven-game, regular-season losing streak to the Heat.
The Mavericks made three shots in the first quarter, scored 33 points in the first half and beat the Heat by 21.
How?
With a 39-3 run.
The Mavericks started their run after being down 59-49 with around four minutes left in the third quarter. Twenty-nine of the 39 points were scored by Mavericks bench players, including 14 by Villanueva, who knocked down half of his six 3s during the flurry.
Tyson Chandler, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the game, had six points during the run, as did Devin Harris. J.J. Barea added five, ending the run with a 3 to make it 88-62 with 3:03 remaining.
Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis finished with 12 points apiece for the Mavs, who shot 41.5 percent from the field, making 13 of their 29 3-point attempts.
"Since I was insanely cold, it was definitely good that we made some shots," said Nowitzki.
The Magic have been in the news for negative reasons lately. Yahoo Sport's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that head coach Jacque Vaughn is on the hot seat and could lose his job within days.
"I'm here today for practice and I'm ready to do my job for today," Vaughn said before practice on Friday. "I do my job the best I can for that day."
The Magic have dropped seven straight, including four in a row at home.
The streak reached seven on Thursday with a 115-100 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. It was Milwaukee's first victory in Orlando since Dec. 29, 2004, a stretch that included 17 straight losses.
Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Victor Oladipo scored 21 points in the setback. Willie Green scored 16 off the bench, Elfrid Payton managed 15 and Evan Fournier added 11.
"We don't want to keep losing," said Vucevic. "We just have to find a way to get out of it. Nobody can help us but ourselves."
The Magic allowed the Bucks to shoot 51.7 percent from the field and 48 percent from long range. Orlando committed 24 turnovers, which led to 34 Bucks' points.
Things don't get any easier for the Magic. They visit the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in their next two games.
The Mavericks have won five straight in this series and eight in a row in Orlando. The last time the Magic beat Dallas at home was March 31, 2006.
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