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The Dallas Mavericks obviously are one of the better teams in the National Basketball Association, as evidenced by their 22-5 win-loss record prior to their game against the Orlando Magic Tuesday night.

Speaking of the Magic, new arrivals Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Gilbert Arenas and Earl Clark did suit up and play for their new team with mixed results. Eight players played for the Magic and even with Dwight Howard’s third straight 20-20 effort, the Magic were simply outplayed.

As a result, the combination of 50 percent shooting and a balanced scoring attack enabled Dallas to defeat Orlando 105-99 at Amway Center. The victory was the Mavericks’ fourth straight.

Even with the shortage of manpower, the Magic did show some life with a 17-2 explosion between the first and second quarters, sparked by Arenas and Clark – while Howard and Jameer Nelson on the bench – and pushing Orlando ahead 31-29.

But it was’t until the Mavericks held a 12-point lead that the Magic – at least players not named Dwight Howard – began to show some forms of life. Richardson’s 3-pointer with 56 ticks left on the game clock in the fourth quarter trimmed Orlando’s deficit to three. Then Dallas’ Jason Terry came back with a mid-range jumper and Richardson followed with another trey with 24 seconds remaining in the game to bring the Magic to within two.

But the Mavericks would shoot free throws the rest of the way, sinking any chances for the undersized Orlando squad to get the win.

Six Mavericks players scored in double-digits, led by Caron Butler with 20 points (including four 3-pointers) and 4 rebounds while Dirk Nowitzki added 17 with 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Tyson Chandler chipped in 16 with 4 rebounds and a steal while Jason Kidd notched a double-double, scoring 13 (including 3 three-pointers) with 6 rebounds, 12 assists and a steal.

Howard led all Magic scorers with 26 points, 23 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks while J.J. Redick added 21 (including four 3-pointers) with 3 rebounds and an assist. Nelson chipped in 19 (including 4 treys) with 3 rebounds and 6 assists.

Dallas (23-5) will face a tough challenge on Monday as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ford Center while Orlando (16-12), losers of four straight, remain at home to host the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night.