Magic crumble in 2nd half of Game 7 against Cavs as season ends
CLEVELAND — Paolo Banchero became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 30-plus points in three or more games of the same playoff series but his tremendous efforts weren’t enough against the Cavaliers in Orlando‘s first trip back to the postseason in four years.
Banchero, who totaled 38 points during Sunday’s Game 7, was one of just 3 players on Jamahl Mosley’s squad to finish in double figures as Cleveland advanced past Orlando 106-94 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Magic led by as many as 18 points in the first half but crumbled after the break as Cleveland’s offense found its footing in third quarter behind the prolific scoring of All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell, who led all scorers with 39.
Cleveland won all four of its games in the best-of-seven series at home.
With the 12-point loss in Game 7, Orlando’s otherwise successful season comes to an end.
The Magic won at least 47 games for the first time since 2011 and was only a contest away from winning its first playoff series since 2010.
But what hurt Orlando all season long — reliable 3-point shooting — limited their offense again Sunday. The Magic shot 32.3% (10 of 31) from beyond the arc in a must-win game.
Wendell Carter Jr. totaled 13 points while Jalen Suggs added 10. That was it for double-figure scorers for Orlando.
Plagued by slow starts throughout the series, especially on the road, it was a surge of early scoring that boosted the Magic ahead of the Cavs in the opening half but Orlando failed to keep it up after that.
Three straight triples from Banchero and Carter began what eventually became an 11-0 run for Orlando during the first quarter even with the Cavs calling a timeout in the middle of it.
The Magic’s perimeter defense forced Cleveland to miss its first six 3-pointers and shoot 2-of-11 from beyond the arc before the break. The Cavs didn’t score from the 8:33 mark to the 3:02 mark of the first quarter.
A 7-0 run for the Magic to start the second quarter tightened their grip on the contest before a late run from Cleveland made it a 10-point game at halftime.
Cleveland outscored Orlando 33-15 during a third quarter that saw the Cavs shoot 61% (11 of 18) from the field and the Magic a lowly 17% (4 of 24). As Mitchell, who had 17 points in the frame, powered Cleveland’s offense, the Magic struggled to find an answer on offense.
The Magic’s offense got stagnant as they settled for long-range shots. But as Orlando shot 2 of 11 from 3-point range in the third quarter, the Cavs shot 4 of 5, which included a trio of 3s from sharpshooter Max Strus.
Orlando received positive player availability before the game when it found Gary Harris was available to play after he missed Game 6 due to a right hamstring strain.
Harris opened alongside Suggs, Franz Wagner, Banchero and Carter Jr.
For Cleveland, starting center Jarrett Allen missed his third straight game of the series due to a right rib contusion suffered in Game 4.
Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff moved forward Evan Mobley to the No. 5 spot and started Isaac Okoro alongside guards Darius Garland, Mitchell and Strus. Mobley totaled 11 points and 16 rebounds while Strus added 13 points (3 of 6 from 3).
