Paolo Banchero led a balanced scoring effort with 20 points, and the Orlando Magic used a stout defensive effort to record their 11th win in the last 13 games with a 104-94 defeat of the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Orlando limited Cleveland — which had won three in a row — to just 30-of-85 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-17 in a pivotal third quarter. The Magic outscored the Cavaliers 30-15 in the period, shooting 12-of-19 on their end of the floor.
The stretch was key for an Orlando offense that faced its own struggles. The Magic finished the game shooting just 39-of-84 from the floor overall and 7-of-26 from 3-point range.
Banchero and Franz Wagner — who registered 19 points — shot a combined 16-of-39 from the field. Both led the way on the glass for the Magic with 10 and eight rebounds, respectively, and were part of a quintet of Orlando players to score in double-figures.
Jalen Suggs added 12 points, Joe Ingles came off the bench to score another 12 points and Goga Bitadze notched 15 points with seven rebounds. Bitadze also helped key the defensive effort with four blocked shots.
Cavaliers star Darius Garland led all scorers on Monday with 36 points. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points. The duo went 5-of-19 from 3-point range, as Cleveland shot 9-of-40 from deep as a team.
Cleveland fell behind by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter before battling back down the stretch. The Cavaliers cut the deficit to five points with 1:36 remaining at the culmination of a 21-8 run spanning almost eight minutes.
Jonathan Isaac did his part to seal the win with a 16-second stretch in the final minute during which he dunked home two of his seven points, made his second steal of the night on the other end, leading to Wagner scoring the final basket.
The win avenged one of the only two losses Orlando suffered over the last 13 games, a 121-111 Cavaliers home win on Dec. 6.
–Field Level Media
