All good things have to come to an end.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were firmly in control of this game until they weren’t. They had a 13-point lead in the third quarter but couldn’t hold on to it. The offense went cold and the Magic took advantage. Orlando outscored Cleveland 61-43 in the second half to come away with the 108-103 upset victory.
The Cavs came out of the gates strong, even without Evan Mobley who missed the game with a foot contusion. They jumped out to a quick five-point lead a few minutes into the game. They then stretched it to 13 with a Donovan Mitchell buzzer-beater to end the quarter.
Orlando got back into the game in the second quarter. The Cavs’ offense went cold as they registered just five points in the first eight minutes of the second quarter after putting up 38 the quarter before. This allowed the Magic to tie the game with four minutes left in the second.
The Cavs offense came back alive to close out the half on a 17-5 run to take a 13-point lead into the intermission. That run was punctuated by a Hunter buzzer-beater three. They needed a similar run like this in the second half, but it didn’t happen.
Cleveland let go of the rope in the third quarter. A string of sloppy, backcourt turnovers allowed the Magic to crawl back into the game. Orlando won that frame 35-23 to make it a one-point game going into the fourth.
It was a back-and-forth game throughout the fourth. A Max Strus three with a minute left gave Cleveland a one-point lead. Paolo Banchero answered back with a midrange jumper to retake the lead.
Hunter had a chance to re-take the lead with an open three, but he couldn’t convert. The Cavs had a chance to tie it with a three on the next possession, but misses from Strus, Mitchell, and then Mitchell again sealed their fate.
The Magic were led by Banchero. He finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
Mitchell led the Cavs in scoring with 23 points, six rebounds, and five helpers.