The Orlando Magic just grabbed their first win in the series, and a big one at that. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by 38 in a 83-121 game three. What happened? How can the Cavaliers recover? Here’s a look back as the Cavaliers drop game three to the Magic.
Starting lineup
The Cavaliers went with a starting lineup of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Cavalier highlights
The best overall performance by a Cavalier was Jarrett Allen. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, not looking near as dominant as he has in the series so far.
Caris LeVert also chipped in 15, with two boards and three assists. Although this is decent coming off the bench, it’s not good when this is the team high in points.
Mitchell finished with 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Mobley scored 10 with two rebounds and an assist. Although starting the game looking dominant, Mobley’s play quickly fizzled along with the rest of the team.
Garland put up five points, three rebounds and six assists.
Magic
Unlike their previous two outings, there were a total of five players scoring in double digits for the Magic. Paolo Banchero scored 31, Jalen Suggs 24, Franz Wagner 16, Markelle Fultz 11 and Cole Anthony scored 10.
Banchero, so far the team’s only real producer, seemingly could not be stopped. His 31 points came on a 50.0 percent clip with a 44.4 percent three point percentage. He also grabbed 14 boards, giving him a double double on the night.
The Magic outplayed the Cavaliers in almost every facet. Orlando had a better field goal percentage, three point percentage and free throw percentage. They grabbed more rebounds on both ends of the floor, with more steals and less turnovers. They also scored more fastbreak points, and more points in the paint. While Cleveland’s largest lead of the night was seven, Orlando’s was 43.
By all metrics, the Magic dominated this game.
Looking ahead
The Cavaliers were outplayed, plain and simple. The Magic needed a win to stay in the series, and they more than got that. Along with the win, they earned a tremendous amount of momentum leading into game four.
In order for the Cavaliers to regain control of the series, their shots will need to start falling. They shot 39.0 percent from the floor as a team, with a 23.5 three point percentage. While the field goal percentage is passable with a strong overall performance, making less than one out of every four threes isn’t a sustainable style of winning basketball.
The Cavaliers haven’t played great in this series, and this game exposed what can happen when they play a team who can exploit their weaknesses.
The Cavaliers also didn’t look like the same team who posted a 112.7 defensive rating this regular season. There were multiple times, especially in the second half, when Magic players had a wide open lane and nary a single Cav stepped in to contest.
If the Cavaliers want to keep the series from being tied up again, they’ll have to start making their shots, and defending Orlando’s.
Game four starts this Saturday (April 27) at 1:00 pm in Orlando.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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