by Athens, OH – The Cleveland Cavaliers’ (43-37) defense has been an issue ever since all-star center Jarrett Allen went down with a fractured finger. Add in Evan Mobley’s ankle sprain and the teams’ two best interior defenders have missed significant time down the stretch. Those defensive issues continued on Tuesday night, as the Cavs lost to the lowly Orlando Magic (21-59) 120-115.
Along with Allen and Mobley being out, Cleveland also remains without rotation big Dean Wade and scorer Collin Sexton. Both will most likely miss the rest of the season with their respective injuries, but Sexton could still be back for the playoffs if the Cavs somehow force a deep run.
For the Magic, stud big man Wendell Carter Jr. missed Tuesday night’s contest with a wrist injury. He was joined by Cole Anthony (toe), Admiral Schofield (knee), Gary Harris (personal) and Franz Wagner, who left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle sprain.
First Half
Cleveland started the game how many thought the entirety of the game was going to go, shooting lights out leading to a 14-3 run to open the game. They were aggressively attacking the hoop on offense and creating turnovers on defense. The Magic, Mo Bamba specifically, were not ready to just roll over so early in the contest. Bamba went 5/5 from three point range in the first quarter as Orlando’s starting center. He scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the first quarter as he willed Orlando back in this game.
Lauri Markkanen put in some early work for Cleveland offensively, getting 11 of his 25 points in the first, including three three-pointers. No matter how much offense Cleveland was getting though, their defense continued to allow way too many wide-open threes for the Magic. If not for a late Caris LeVert layup, Orlando would’ve had the lead going into the second quarter. Instead, Cleveland went into the second with a 36-35 lead over Orlando.
The second quarter was much more back and forth, with multiple players getting in on the action. For the Magic, Ignas Brazdeikis scored 12 of his 20 points in the second quarter, relentlessly attacking the rim and putting pressure on the Cavaliers’ defense. This left plenty of room for Orlando’s shooters, as they continued to shoot lights out from deep. The Magic shot 46% from deep for the game, making 16/35 from outside.
With Cleveland down five with under a minute left in the half, Cleveland went on a 7-0 run to close the half. As Markkanen hit a couple of free throws before the first half buzzer, the Cavaliers went into halftime with a 61-59 lead over the Magic.
Second Half
Coming out the gates to start the second half, Markelle Fultz, who made his first start of the season at point guard for the Magic, really came into his own. He scored 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter and gave the Magic a massive offensive boost as his attacking play style helped set up the Magic’s shooters just as Brazdeikis’ did in the first half.
This also helped Orlando dictate the way the game would be played. They forced the pace and made the extra pass to the open guy on offense, taking advantage of some miscues on both sides of the ball from Cleveland. This led the Magic to a 91-86 lead going into the fourth quarter.
With Orlando holding a relatively late lead against the Cavs, it was time for their studs on offense to make some plays. All-star Darius Garland did not disappoint. He had 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and really took over from the midway point until the end. Garland also had 10 assists and 6 boards on his way to a terrific all-around game. Cleveland needed every ounce of offense that Garland could give them, seeing they had to play from behind the entirety of the fourth quarter.
Just as the game seemed out of reach for the Cavs, Brazdeikis threw a wild pass that turned into a turnover and a three-point from Garland to make it a 117-115 Magic lead with 16 seconds to go. Cleveland fouled R.J. Hampton, who is shooting 63% from the line on the season. Hampton went onto hit both free throws, and the Magic would go onto win 120-115 against the Cavaliers.
What’s Next
With the loss tonight and the Raptors’ win over Atlanta, Cleveland is officially locked into a spot in the play-in tournament and will have to win at least one game to get into the playoffs. Right now, Cleveland holds the seven seed, which would mean they host the eight seed and if they win that game, the Cavs would be the seven seed in the playoffs. With two games remaining, Friday against the Nets and Sunday versus the Bucks, they’ll need to do whatever they can to get healthy and win those games to ensure home court advantage in the play-in tournament.
benfirrell@yahoo.com
@ben7565 on Twitter
Photo Credits:
