CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, Jarrett Allen grabbed 20 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Orlando Magic 96-86 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference series.
Mitchell established the tempo as the Cavs led from beginning to end, just like they did in Game 1.
Cleveland has had an impressive start to the playoffs, after waiting throughout the regular season for an opportunity to make up for last year's first-round exit against the New York Knicks, who defeated the Cavs in five games.
This time around, Cleveland has been significantly stronger.
Evan Mobley contributed 17 points and Allen scored 16 — with nine offensive rebounds — for the Cavs.
Paolo Banchero scored 21 points and Franz Wagner 18 for the Magic, who have only managed to come back and win one playoff series out of 13 attempts after losing the series opener. They are now in an even deeper difficult situation.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will take place Thursday in Orlando.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs suffered a sprained left knee in the first quarter. He fell to the floor after making contact with Mitchell and immediately grasped his leg in agony. After being assisted, an emotional Suggs was unable to put any weight on his leg as he was carried to the locker room.
However, the former high school football star returned after halftime with a sleeve on his leg. He ended up with nine points and sparked a rally in the fourth quarter as the Magic scored 13 straight to pull within 87-78.
However, Mitchell re-entered and scored two quick baskets to regain control for the Cavs.
Suggs’ injury appeared to unsettle his teammates. The Magic were only 14-13 when he went out, but the Cavs closed the opening quarter with a 19-5 surge to open a 12-point lead.
Garland’s layup with 9:09 remaining gave the Cavs a 22-point lead, allowing their cheering fans to release some tension and rejoice in Cleveland securing a second postseason victory for the first time since 2018.
Similar to Game 1, the Magic couldn’t find their shooting touch. They shot 36% from the floor, including 9 of 35 on 3-pointers.
For many of Orlando’s players, Game 1 was their first experience of the playoffs and the big stage may have contributed to the team’s poor shooting performance.
Coach Jamahl Mosley wasn’t concerned about the Magic losing any confidence, and his message was for them to continue shooting.
“I don’t care if you’ve missed two in a row or 10 in a row,” he said before the game. “If you’re open, let it go.”
Yet the Magic’s shooting problems persisted. They missed their first five 3-pointers and started 3 of 11 from the field.
UP NEXT
Orlando hosts its first playoff game since April 21, 2019. It will be Cleveland’s first postseason visit there since the 2009 conference finals.
