CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have gained their opening recreation within the the NBA playoffs after crashing and burning a yr in the past in the course of the first spherical. The fourth-seeded Cavs took down the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic 97-83 in Recreation 1 Saturday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland led wire-to-wire.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 30 factors. Jarrett Allen completed with 16 factors and 18 rebounds. Evan Mobley had 16 factors — all within the first half — and 11 rebounds. Recreation 2 is about for Monday evening.
Here is how Saturday’s recreation unfolded.
Cavaliers en path to successful Recreation 1 over Orlando Magic
That’ll do it. Darius Garland ran the shot clock all the best way down after which nailed a 3-pointer from th eelbow, and Donovan Mitchell drew an offensive foul on the different finish.
The Cavs are up 97-81 with lower than a minute to go.
Donovan Mitchell 3-pointer places Cavs up 14 over Magic
Donovan Mitchell might need nearly hit the dagger in Recreation 1.
After Mitchell dove right into a crowd for a free ball on the defensive finish, Darius Garland discovered him huge open for a 3-pointer on the different finish, and Mitchell drained it to place the Cavs up 88-74 with 4:44 to go.
Mitchell now has a game-high 26 factors. Darius Garland has solely 9 factors, however he is additionally dished out eight assists.
Shortly after Darius Garland was fouled and reached for his again. He is remaining within the recreation, however he is additionally clearly coping with some discomfort.
Isaac Okoro damage: Okoro stays after Moritz Wagner falls on him
Mortiz Wagner once more.
Wagner has been chippy all day. This one seems inadvertent, however whereas going for a free ball, Wager successfully fell on Okoro’s head. Okoro stayed down for a couple of minutes and is now on the bench being checked out by group trainers.
Just a few moments later, Wagner was discovered open in transition for a dunk, and he yelled at Donovan Mitchell whereas flexing. The Cavs lead 78-66.
Beneath is data on the third quarter.
Cavaliers lead Magic 73-58 coming into fourth quarter
That wasn’t the perfect 12 minutes of basketball for the Cavs, however this Magic offense simply seems utterly out of kinds. Orlando is taking pictures simply 30 % from the ground and 18.5 % from 3-point vary. That is “oof” vary.
The Cavs will enter the fourth quarter with a 15-point benefit towards the worst 3-point taking pictures group within the league. They’ve put themselves in an awesome spot.
Caris LeVert in some way converts 2-and-1 with exhausting contact
Caris LeVert just about simply bought tackled however nonetheless bought a transition layup to fall, and he hit the layup after it, to present the Cavs a 73-58 lead on the finish of the third quarter.
Myles Garrett is within the constructing, and that was a takedown that even he’d be happy with.
LeVert hit back-to-back layups to guide the Cavs on a pleasant little run to finish the quarter.
Donovan Mitchell, Georges Niang bailing out Cavaliers offense; Cleveland lead again to double digits over Orlando Magic
The Cavs offense hasn’t performed that effectively on this third quarter, however Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang have saved the Magic at bay.
Mitchell simply discovered Niang for a 3-pointer. Niang hit it, after which pointed to the Magic bench as he jogged again to the bench for a timeout. Niang has embodied the Cavs’ targets of bringing a brand new degree of toughness to those playoffs to date.
The Cavs now lead 66-56 with 2:32 left within the third quarter.
Darius Garland returns to recreation after being handled on the bench; Cavs lead the Magic 55-50
Garland solely missed roughly two minutes and is checking again into the sport.
It seems as if he is in some discomfort, however not sufficient to power his exit from the sport for lengthy.
The refs have been letting either side play a bit, with the same old added roughness that comes with playoff basketball. However Garland’s standing is now one thing for the Cavs to watch.
Darius Garland out with doable again damage in third quarter towards Magic
Darius Garland is perhaps coping with a again problem. Throughout a current timeout, he seemed to be stretching out his again on the ground. Solely three minutes into the third quarter, Garland has checked out of the sport and has a private coach engaged on his again on the bench with that appears to be a heating pad of some kind.
Caris LeVert checked into the sport in Garland’s place.
In the meantime, the Magic have minimize additional into the Cavs’ lead, which is now all the way down to 55-50.
Magic open third quarter on 6-2 run to chop into Cavs lead
The Magic are actually struggling to search out sufficient offensive firepower to maintain tempo, however the Cavs going chilly has helped in that regard.
The Magic have opened the third on a 6-2 run — although it included one shot by which Franz Wagner hit the aspect of the backboard fully — to chip away on the Cavs’ lead, which now sits at 55-47.
A number of turnovers for the Cavs, and a little bit of an power drop from the primary half, has prompted J.B. Bickerstaff to name a timeout and regroup.
Beneath is a few details about the second quarter.
Cavs lead Magic 53-41 at halftime
The Cavs led the Magic 53-41 at halftime.
Ahead Evan Mobley had a game-high 16 factors for the Cavs by means of two quarters. Mitchell added 14 factors. Middle Jarrett Allen had 11 to associate with a game-high eight rebounds.
Banchero paced the Magic with 11 factors. Ahead Franz Wagner added eight.
The Cavs shot 19 of 39 (48.7%) from the sector (5 of 16 on 3-pointers) within the first half. The Magic had been 13 of 41 (31.7%) from the ground (2 of 16 on 3-pointers).
The Cavs outrebounded the Magic 22-19 within the first half and held a 12-point halftime lead regardless of lacking 11 consecutive 3-pointers after beginning the sport 5 of 5 from deep.
The Magic outscored the Cavs 12-3 in bench factors within the first half.
Cavs seize 14-point lead vs. Magic with middle Jarrett Allen asserting himself within the paint
Allen threw down back-to-back dunk makes an attempt on assists from Mitchell and level guard Darius Garland, and Cleveland constructed a 51-37 lead with 2:51 left within the second quarter. At this checkpoint, it was the Cavs’ largest benefit of the sport.
The Cavs must be in fine condition if Allen continues to play with managed aggression and power.
Welcome to playoff basketball. Depth will increase in second quarter of Cavs vs. Magic
The Cavs challenged a blocking name on ahead Georges Niang, who tried to attract a cost from Magic middle Wendell Carter Jr. as he drove to the basket alongside the baseline.
Guess what? The Cavs gained the problem, which means Carter was charged with a foul with 10:36 remaining within the first half.
The Magic picked up one other foul when middle Moritz Wagner shoved Mobley out of bounds because the latter tried to collect a free ball. In response to the play, Cavs small ahead Isaac Okoro drew a technical foul with 9:29 left within the second quarter, and Magic ahead Joe Ingles made the following free throw to chop Cleveland’s result in 35-29.
Moments later, Niang bought within the face of Magic guard Markelle Fultz after Fultz made contact with Niang on a quick break. After the officers reviewed the sequence, the foul on Fultz counted, and Niang acquired a technical. Ingles missed a foul shot, and Niang cut up a pair, giving the Cavs a 38-31 lead with 8:19 remaining.
Beneath is a few details about the primary quarter.
Cavs lead Magic 33-26 on the finish of the primary quarter
The Cavs captured a 33-26 lead towards the Magic after one quarter.
The Cavs shot 13-of-23 from the sector within the opening quarter in contrast with the Magic going 8 of 20 from the ground.
The Cavs additionally held an 11-9 edge in rebounding by means of 1 / 4.
Mitchell and Mobley led the Cavs with 10 factors apiece within the first quarter. Banchero had a team-high eight factors for the Magic.
Cavs increase result in 29-19 vs. Magic with 3:18 left within the first quarter
Garland picked up his second foul with 4:50 left within the first quarter as he tried to cease a fast-break basket off a turnover by Cleveland small ahead Max Strus.
The damaging improvement did not cease the Cavs from displaying their firepower, although. They led 29-19 with 3:18 left within the first quarter by occurring a fast 6-0 run after Garland checked out of the sport.
Mitchell nailed a bounce shot, adopted by Allen making layups off assists from Mitchell and guard Caris LeVert.
Cavs lead Magic 19-8 with 7:36 left within the first quarter
The Cavs led 19-8 throughout a timeout with 7:36 left within the first quarter after Mobley made his second 3-pointer.
The Cavs started the sport 7-of-9 taking pictures from the sector (5 of 5 on 3-pointers). Probably the most spectacular make at this juncture: Mitchell sank a desperation, fadeaway 3-pointer with 8:57 left to keep away from a shot-clock violation.
The Cavs began sizzling out of the gate and took a 6-0 lead with back-to-back 3-pointers by Strus and Mitchell.
The Magic made two of their first six photographs from the ground.
Beneath is a few pregame data.
The Donovan Mitchell playoffs?
Cavs vs. Magic prediction
We both have the Cavs winning Game 1. To see why, and who we pick for the series, please click here.
How can I watch, stream or listen to Cleveland Cavs vs. Orlando Magic in Game 1?
The game is being televised nationally by ESPN and locally by Bally Sports Ohio. It’s being broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
What is the injury report for the Cleveland Cavs and Orlando Magic?
The Cavs ruled out backup forward Dean Wade (sprained knee) for Game 1. He missed the final 19 games of the regular season.
They also ruled out backup point guards Craig Porter Jr. (ankle) and Ty Jerome (ankle). Porter suffered a sprained ankle in the April 14 regular-season finale. Jerome underwent surgery and missed virtually the entire season.
Reserve shooting guard Sam Merrill (neck strain) is not listed on the injury report. He is expected to be available for Cleveland after sitting out the team’s final three regular-season games.
Mitchell (left knee bone bruise), starting point guard Darius Garland (back contusion) and sixth man Caris LeVert (knee soreness) have been pushing through injuries, and they will face the Magic. Like Merrill, they aren’t on the injury report.
In the buildup to Game 1, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley declared Orlando fully healthy.
Cavs vs Magic schedule in NBA playoffs
- Game 1: Magic vs. Cavs — 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, in Cleveland, ESPN
- Game 2: Magic vs. Cavs — 7 p.m. Monday, April 22, in Cleveland, NBA TV
- Game 3: Cavs vs. Magic — 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Orlando, NBA TV
- Game 4: Cavs vs. Magic — 1 p.m. Saturday, April, 27, in Orlando, TNT
- Game 5: Magic vs. Cavs — Tuesday, April 30, in Cleveland (if necessary)
- Game 6: Cavs vs. Magic — Friday, May 3, in Orlando (if necessary)
- Game 7: Magic vs. Cavs — Sunday, May 5, in Cleveland (if necessary)
NBA playoff bracket: Eastern Conference first round
- (1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Miami Heat
- (2) New Knicks vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
- (3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
- (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Orlando Magic
The winner of the Cavs-Magic series advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals to play whichever team prevails between the top-seeded Boston Celtics (64-18) and eighth-seeded Miami Heat (46-36). The No. 8 spot was determined by the Heat defeating the Chicago Bulls 112-91 on Friday night in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Cavs vs. Magic this season: Teams split their 2023-24 regular-season series
The Cavs and Magic played each other four times during the regular season. Each team won twice, including once on the other team’s home court. Here’s a look at those games:
- Magic 116, Cavs 109; Feb. 22, in Cleveland
- Notable: Mo Wagner’s 22 points and seven rebounds led the Magic to a win. Max Strus (18 points and six assists) and Jarrett Allen (18 points and 10 rebounds) led the Cavs, who were without Donovan Mitchell (illness).
- Cavs 129, Magic 99; Jan. 22, in Orlando
- Notable: Sam Merrill scored 26 points, 20 in the first half, to lead the Cavs to their eighth consecutive win. Donovan Mitchell added 25 points and 13 assists, and Jarrett Allen had a 12th straight double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds). Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 18 points and six assists.
- Magic 104, Cavs 94; Dec. 11, in Orlando
- Notable: Despite 36 points by Darius Garland and 22 by Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs lost. Paolo Banchero scored 20 points to lead the Magic, and Franz Wagner added 19. The Cavs were without Evan Mobley (knee), and foul trouble for Jarrett Allen created problems in the second half.
- Cavs 110, Magic 101; Dec. 6, in Cleveland
- Notable: Donovan Mitchell (35 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and Darius Garland (26 points, nine assists) led the way for the Cavs. Max Strus (17 points, five rebounds, six assists) and Evan Mobley (16 points and five rebounds) also came up big. Paolo Banchero went for 42 points to go with six rebounds and nine assists for Orlando. The Magic shot just 2 for 23 on 3-pointers.
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What is the all-time series history between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic?
The Cavs are 65-61 against the Magic in the regular season. Cleveland is 39-23 at home.
In the playoffs, the Cavs are 2-4 against the Magic. All six of those games were played in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich. Ryan Lewis might be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Comply with him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.