The Mavericks (34-21) had looked on course for defeat until embarking on a 19-0 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters.
Dirk Nowitzki initiated the surge with back-to-back baskets, before Jason Terry hit a three-pointer at the end of the third to narrow the deficit to four.
Jason Kidd’s three pointer a minute into the fourth put the Mavericks ahead for good and he would add two more points to the lead after Brendan Haywood scored five straight to extend the lead to 77-69 with a little less than nine minutes to play.
Dwight Howard led all scorers with 29 points for the Magic (37-19) and added 16 rebounds to record his league-leading 44th double-double.
While the Mavericks were heating up offensively they also tightened up on defence.
