On this very special night, the Dallas Mavericks were not about to let the soldiers down.
J. J. Barea came off the bench to provide a spark in the first half, and Luka Doncic took over in the second half and the Mavs held on for a hard-fought 107-106 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.
The Mavs (5-2) will now host the New York Knicks on Friday before opening a three-game road trip Saturday in Memphis.
After Seth Curry missed a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining, Orlando (2-6) had a chance to win the game.