Jamahl Mosley had plenty to say after the Magic’s 138-127 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, but he kept coming back to the same idea: Orlando won by trusting each other.
“They did a great job of communicating with each other,” Mosley said. “Their talk, their ability to share the basketball — 35 assists, moving it, sharing it, trusting the pass, playing with the right style of pace of basketball, and just really their trust in each other. That was great to see.”
The Magic coach said the ball movement was the biggest reason Orlando was able to handle a night in which rookie Cooper Flagg scored 51 points. “You talk about 35 assists, moving it, sharing it, trusting the pass,” Mosley said. “That’s selfless basketball.”
Mosley pointed to the way his group communicated on the floor as the foundation for the win. “If you go back and watch any of the tape, you just see the lines of communication amongst the guys,” he said. “Them talking about what they saw, where they can be on the floor, the ownership in that was really big-time.”
Orlando had six players score in double figures, and Mosley said that balance mattered. “The right play is always going to be the right play,” he said. “That to me was selfless basketball.”
Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 28 points, and Mosley credited his center for setting the tone inside. “His presence at the rim is great for us,” Mosley said. “Our coach Randy Gregory challenged him today to be the presence in that paint, to attack the glass, to touch the paint, to spray out, to make the right decisions, and he’s one of the most selfless guys we have.”
Mosley also liked what he saw from Franz Wagner as the forward continues working back into rhythm. “It’s good to see his rhythm,” he said. “It’s good to see him finding a rhythm, and the fact that we can not burn him all the way out in a game like this is big time.”
Asked about Flagg, Mosley was quick to praise the rookie’s aggressiveness. “He’s tough,” Mosley said. “He attacks the basket, gets to that left hand, left side of the floor quickly, bounces, gets to his shot. You try to defend him without fouling, and he wasn’t shooting the ball great from three before we got to him.”
Mosley said Flagg looked even more explosive than in their previous meeting. “There was more explosion tonight,” he said. “You see popping up for jump shots, the three, coming down in transition aggressively. His handling, some of the playmaking — that’s a lot for a young kid, and he’s doing a heck of a job.”
He also took a moment to acknowledge Luka Doncic’s injury from afar. “My heart goes out to him,” Mosley said. “He’s put in a body of work this year.”
