CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers‘ franchise-record winning streak was snapped with a 108-103 loss to the Orlando Magic Sunday afternoon at Rocket Arena.
The Cavs (56-11) extended their winning streak to 16 games on the road but couldn’t hold onto a double-digit lead against the Magic. The game was shown nationally on ABC.
The Magic (32-37), who had lost both Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner for the season because of knee surgeries, entered Sunday battling for a spot in the play-in tournament. The Cavs had already locked up the Central division and a top-six seed in the East.
Here’s how Sunday’s game unfolded.
Cavs winning streak snapped at 16 in loss to Magic
Donovan Mitchell missed another 3, and the Cavs have lost 108-103 to the Magic. That snapped Cleveland’s franchise-record winning streak at 16 games.
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Donovan Mitchell misses back-to-back 3s; Magic lead Cavs in final seconds
Donovan Mitchell missed a 3, and then missed another after a Jarrett Allen offensive board, and Franz Wagner was fouled.
Wagner made both free throws, and the Cavs are down 108-103 with only 7.8 seconds left.
Paolo Banchero gives Magic the lead after Max Strus 3
Down 102-100 after two Franz Wagner free throws, Max Strus buried a 3 right at the one-minute mark to put the Cavs up 103-102.
Paolo Banchero countered with a jumper to again give the Magic a 104-102 advantage. De’Andre Hunder then badly missed a corner 3 at the other end, and Caldwell-Pope made both free throws to make 106-103 with 30 seconds left.
Max Strus had a 3 attempt rattled out of the rim, but Jarrett Allen grabbed the offensive rebound.
The Cavs have the ball down 106-103 with 20 seconds left.
Cavaliers lead Magic by 1 with 2 minutes left
This game suddenly has a playoff feel. Both offenses have slowed the tempo down, but they’ve gone back and forth with a few misses in a row. With 2:08 left, the Cavs are holding onto a 98-97 lead.
Donovan Mitchell is up to 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Darius Garland has 19 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jarrett Allen has a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists.
Paolo Banchero also has a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Magic take lead over Cavs in fourth quarter
The Magic have the lead in the fourth following back-to-back Darius Garland turnovers. Both turnovers led to Anthony Black baskets, first a layup and then a 3, the latter of which has given the Magic a 92-91 lead with 6:45 left.
Without Mobley, the Cavs have gone a bit smaller than normal, spreading the ball around the perimeter, but they’ve hit only eight of 31 3-point attempts.
Donovan Mitchell throws down two-handed dunk, Cavs extend lead
The Cavs quickly recovered to start the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell hit a 3, which was followed by another 3 by Sam Merrill to quickly build a 7-point lead.
Later, Mitchell drove right down the middle of the lane and threw down a two-handed dunk, one of the better dunks of the season for a Cavs player.
The Cavs are up 91-86 with 8:30 left.
Cavs lead trimmed to 1 point entering fourth quarter
That sloppy third quarter has nearly erased the Cavaliers’ advantage. After cruising nearly all day, Cleveland now holds just a one-point lead, 83-82, entering the fourth quarter.
The Cavs hit just two of their 10 3-pointers in the third quarter while shooting 8-for-21 overall.
Cavs, Magic tied after Cleveland has three consecutive turnovers
The Cavs just went through a brutally sloppy offensive stretch in which they barely got the ball over midcourt and committed back-to-back-back turnovers in a span of 27 seconds.
First, Anthony Black stole the ball from Ty Jerome just after the Cavs in-bounded it, which led to a Franz Wagner layup. Jerome then got the ball again, and Black nearly pulled off another steal, but he instead applied enough pressure that Jerome lost the ball off his leg, which led to a Wagner 3.
Then, once again, the Cavs couldn’t get the ball to midcourt. Donovan Mitchell had the ball swiped from Gary Harris nearly under the Cavs’ basket, and that bucket tied it 78-78 late in the third quarter. The Cavs once led by 13.
That was perhaps the most uncharacteristic 30-second stretch of the entire season for Cleveland.
Jarrett Allen, Cavs maintain lead late in third quarter over Orlando Magic
Jarrett Allen has been heavily involved in the Cavs offense today. He now has 17 points and nine rebounds, and the Cavs are holding onto a 77-70 lead with 2:33 left in the third quarter.
Donovan Mitchell also just saved a ball and ran a few rows into the crowd behind the basket, where there’s a bit more space.
Cavs, Magic score update
Wendell Carter Jr. is having a nice stretch, but the Cavs still lead 72-64 with 6:42 left in the third quarter.
Carter just nailed a 3 from the corner, giving him 14 points and nine rebounds midway through the third.
The Cavs have been balanced scoring-wise with four players in double figures and a fifth, De’Andre Hunter, with nine points. Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland both have 14. Garland has cooled a bit since starting 5-for-5 today.
De’Andre Hunter, Cavs end second quarter on a run to take lead into halftime over Magic: Score update
The Cavs have a tremendous final 45 seconds of the second quarter, and they lead the Magic 60-47 at halftime.
First, a loose ball that was kicked around a bit after a Cavs miss eventually found its way into the hands of Donovan Mitchell, who nailed a 3. The Magic followed with a 24-second violation that left only 2.7 seconds on the clock.
Mitchell took the in-bounds pass and found De’ Andre Hunter, who released and nailed a 3-pointer just as the buzzer sounded.
Jarrett Allen has a team-high 12 points and six rebounds. Hunter has nine points and four rebounds. Mitchell is up to seven points and five assists.
For the Magic, Banchero has 12 points and six rebounds.
Paolo Banchero, Magic close the gap with Cavs
The Cavs opened the second quarter hitting just one of their first 10 attempts, but an Isaac Okoro layup has made it 43-38 with 6:29 to go in the first half.
Paolo Banchero hit back-to-back 3s and now has 11 points today.
Paolo Banchero, Ty Jerome called for technical fouls
In-between two free throw attempts with Ty Jerome at the line, he and Magic forward Paolo Banchero were called for technical fouls as the two chirped at one another. The jawing, or yapping perhaps, eventually resulted in double techs.
The Cavs lead the Magic 41-30. Jerome now has 10 points tonight.
Cavs put up 38 points in first quarter against Magic
The Cavs offense is rolling, and Cleveland will take a 38-25 lead into the second quarter.
Darius Garland had a 10-point quarter while making all five of his shot attempts. Ty Jerome added seven points. Jarrett Allen had eight points and three rebounds.
Ty Jerome hits 3, holds the pose; Cavs lead Magic in first quarter
After Darius Garland made a nifty layup over his head after he dribbled along the baseline, Ty Jerome buried a deep 3 and held the pose for a bit, looking at the crowd an extra few seconds, to give Cleveland a 27-19 lead with 3:52 to go in the opening quarter.
Cavs, Magic score update: Cleveland takes early lead
The Evan Mobley-less Cavs are off to a good start with a 14-9 lead over the Magic with 7:13 left in the first quarter.
Donovan Mitchell already has two points and two assists. All five Cavs starters have scored within the first few minutes. They’ve been spreading the ball around nicely with the smaller starting lineup.
And yes, Franz Wagner is still being booed in Cleveland.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs injury report vs Magic
All-Stars Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Evan Mobley (foot) were both questionable for Sunday’s game. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said both would test themselves before tip-off, and the team was hopeful they can be available.
About an hour before tip-off, it was announced that Mitchell will play, but Mobley will sit out Sunday. Mitchell missed the last two games with groin soreness. De’Andre Hunter will start in place of Mobley.
Magic injury report vs Cavs
Guard Cole Anthony (foot) is questionable.
Cleveland Cavaliers broadcast information; how can I watch, stream or listen to the Cavs-Magic game?
Sunday’s game can be watched nationally on ABC and ESPN+ and locally on the FanDuel Sports Network. It can be heard on the radio via WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).
