Of the NBA’s eight first-round playoff series, the matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic may have drawn the least interest through three games. However, perhaps it’s time to start paying attention.
The Cavaliers scored just 29 points in the second half amid a dismal shooting performance in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon. With the 112–89 loss, the Magic tied the series at 2–2.
Cleveland led 60-51 at halftime but scored just 10 points in the third quarter. Orlando countered with 37 points to take control of the game and move into the fourth with an 88-70 lead. The Cavs’ frustration began to show midway through the quarter when Darius Garland turned down Jalen Suggs’ tight defense on him.
After winning the first two games of the series in Cleveland, advancing to the second round seemed inevitable. However, the Cavs lost both games in Orlando due to a total of 61 points and the match now looks much more competitive.
Cavs had no shooting touch
The Cavs were particularly bad from three-point range, shooting just 24 percent (4 of 17) from behind the arc. That was the same percentage Cleveland shot on three-pointers in Game 3 (although Sam Merril made three of his four attempts). Outdoor filming has been a problem on the series so far.
During the offseason, Cleveland signed Max Strus (career 37 percent three-point shooter) and Georges Niang (40 percent) with the intention of improving his outside shooting. But neither player had a positive impact in that way on Saturday. Strus went 1-for-3, scoring just seven points, while Nina went 0-for-1 and scored two points.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 21 points and Donovan Mitchell added 18 on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. Caris LeVert, who averaged 14 points per game during the regular season, scored just five (and was 0-for-3 from three).
Franz Wagner was unstoppable
On the other side, Franz Wagner played his best game of the series for Orlando. The third-year forward scored 34 points with 13 rebounds, shooting 13-of-17 from the field (and going 2-of-3 on three-pointers). Wagner had not scored more than 18 points in the previous three games of the series.
Jonathan Isaac added 14 points for Orlando and provided the three-point shooting that Cleveland would have loved, knocking down four of his six long-range attempts.
As a team, the Magic shot 46 percent (12 of 26) on their three-pointers and 56 percent overall (43 of 77) from the field.
Magic-Cavs Game 5 returns to Cleveland on Tuesday. The complaint and the TV channel have not yet been announced.
