DALLAS -- Coach Rick Carlisle considered the semantics important after small forward Chandler Parsons sat for all but a few seconds of the final 5:26 during Wednesday's closer-than-it-shoulda-been win over the Orlando Magic.

"I didn't bench him," Carlisle said. "I just substituted for him."

In other words, there was definitely no disciplinary reason for Parsons riding pine in crunch time. The coach's decision was made purely for basketball reasons.

To be more specific, Carlisle opted to go with Al-Farouq Aminu after Magic small forward Maurice Harkless beat Parsons on a baseline drive for a dunk.

"I just wanted a quicker guy in there," Carlisle said. "With Aminu, you get some more options. Parsons didn't have a great night, but it happens. You're not going to get 30 points every night and sometimes your teammates got to pick you up. We had other guys step up."

Parsons, the Mavs' prized free-agent addition last summer, said he was "a little surprised" by the decision but didn't complain. He played only 2.9 seconds in crunch time, throwing an inbounds pass with 17.5 seconds later and subbing back out after Devin Harris was fouled.

"Obviously, I want to be in the game at the end of the game, but as the head coach, he makes that decision," Parsons said. "It's really out of my hands. I can't really make a decision like that. I got beat off the dribble a couple times tonight just trying to be aggressive and gambling a little bit, but that's part of the game. It happens. It's his decision, man."

Parsons entered the game on a sizzling hot streak, averaging 23.7 points in the previous three games, shooting 65.8 percent from the floor and 73.3 percent from 3-point range. He didn't keep the groove going against the Magic, scoring eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in 27 minutes before becoming a highly-paid spectator, although his plus-6 was the Mavs' second-best plus-minus in the game.

"I just feel like I didn't get in the flow much at all," said Parsons, who is playing through pain stemming from the bone bruise on his left ankle and foot that caused him to miss seven games. "You understand that with just the talent that we have offensively. It's going to be balanced like that.

"A little surprised [by Carlisle's decision], but not really. We have a lot of players that can do different things. Any given night it can be someone different. The best thing is we won the game."

The Mavs had seen their lead shrink from 16 entering the fourth quarter to seven when Carlisle opted to replace Parsons with Aminu. The Magic pulled within one with a minute remaining, and Aminu grabbed two defensive rebounds and hit two free throws in the final 21.9 seconds to help the Mavs hold on for a 107-102 victory.

"Parsons, he's one of our top players and we got to get him ready for Friday," Carlisle said. "He's a huge part of this and there's no doubt about that."