CLEVELAND — The top-seeded
Cavaliers entered
Rocket Arena averaging a league-leading 122.8 points, shooting an NBA-best 39% from 3, and boasting the No. 1 offensive rating (121.8). But Sunday at home against the
Magic in front of a national TV audience on ABC told a different story. Behind a combined 46 points from Paolo Banchero (24) and Franz Wagner (22), Orlando snapped Cleveland’s franchise-record 16-game winning streak 108-103 as the Magic silenced Cavs fans. “It’s a big win,” Banchero said. “Last game of the road trip. We knew this was going to be probably the toughest game coming in here on national TV against one of the better teams in the league also on a winning streak. So, big win.” After Banchero hit a go-ahead jump shot with 45.1 seconds left in the game and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put Orlando ahead by 3 points thanks to a pair of free throws 15 seconds later, Wagner hit two more at the charity stripe to make it a two-possession game with 7.8 to go. “The toughness that they have, the resiliency that they have, to not let the last game spill over into this game … We took the good things from last game and learned from them,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. For the Cavs (56-11) — who shot 10 of 40 (25%) on 3-pointers — the loss was just their fifth at home this season. Orlando trailed by as many as 13 points in a contest that featured 19 lead changes. And Sunday’s game was far different from Feb. 25 when the East foes, who went the distance in last year’s best-of-seven first-round playoff series, met at Kia Center. There Cleveland crushed Orlando by 40. After going 3-2 on their 5-game trip, the Magic (32-37) return home Wednesday when the Rockets make their lone trip to Kia Center. Orlando fell by 13 at Houston last Monday.
Starting 5
Although Cole Anthony was available after he missed the past two games because of a left big-toe strain, the Magic guard came off the bench and was under a minutes restriction, the Sentinel learned prior to tip-off. In place of Anthony, veteran guard Cory Joseph made his third straight and fourth overall start of the season. He joined regulars Caldwell-Pope, Wagner, Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. at Cleveland. Anthony was ruled out at intermission due to the left foot injury after he played 6 minutes before the break. Without Anthony, Banchero helped Joseph initiate the offense. The Magic forward was aggressive getting to the free throw line, where he made 9 of 11 attempts. But neither Banchero nor Wagner were efficient from the floor before the final stretch of the game. Wagner ended 8 of 19 from the floor despite shooting 1 of 6 from 3-point range. He shot 2 of 10 from the floor in the first half and 6 of 9 in the second half. Banchero was able to convert a trio of 3s when Orlando as a whole shot 13 of 31 (41.9%) from beyond the arc. Carter pieced together a double-double even before reaching the fourth quarter by way of 16 points and 10 rebounds. He ended with 16 and 14 in 35 minutes. Caldwell-Pope helped spread the floor when he shot 3 of 5 from distance but he picked up his third foul with 1 minute left in the first half. Despite picking up his fifth foul with 2 minutes left, his third triple of the afternoon tied the game at 100 with 1:41 left.
Second unit
Caleb Houstan, who’s seen an increase of on-court action this road trip, was first off the bench for Orlando. Second-year pro Anthony Black (17 points) led the Magic bench in scoring. No other reserve cracked 4 points. Black helped turn defense into offense late in the third quarter when his on-ball pressure caused some problems for Cleveland. He later converted a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that put the Magic ahead 92-91 with 6:46 left in the contest. While veteran guard Gary Harris only made 1 shot in 20 minutes of action, it was his effort on defense that made a difference. He recorded 2 steals and finished with a team-high plus-minus rating (plus-17). “They’re the reason we won the game, honestly,” Banchero said of his teammates. “AB with his effort tonight, offense and defense. Him hitting the big shots and then guarding on the other end. Gary as well, he was huge for us on defense. And then Dell, a huge double-double, just held down the paint. “We don’t win the game tonight without those guys contributing.”
Rookie watch
Rookie Tristan da Silva remained in the rotation but played a limited 8 minutes. The 6-8 wing was held scoreless while he took just 2 shots and grabbed 1 rebound.
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