The
Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the hottest teams
in 2024, but tonight they were without All-Star
Donovan Mitchell and they
struggled, as they fell short to the
Orlando Magic 116-109 at Rocket Mortgage
FieldHouse behind the heroics of Franz and Mo Wagner.
The Magic have been a pleasant surprise this year, as nobody
expected this young team to be in the playoff hunt this late into the season.
Led by first time All-Star
Paolo Banchero and rising star
Franz Wagner, this
dynamic duo has played amazing and the future for this squad is bright once everybody
continues to develop and gain more comfort in the league.
Tonight, Franz Wagner scored 14 points on 55% shooting while
his brother, Mo Wagner had 22 points on 58% shooting off the bench. Sophomore
Paolo Banchero struggled tonight, finishing with 12 points on 27% shooting.
Wendell Carter Jr. also ended with 12 points while Cole Anthony recorded 13
points off the bench.
For the Cavs, it was all about their starting 5 tonight, as
they all scored in double figures.
Jarrett Allen, Max Strus, and Darius Garland
all finished with 18 points. Allen added in 10 rebounds while Garland
contributed 10 assists as well. Evan Mobley had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6
assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while Isaac Okoro scored 17 points.
This win improves the Magic to 31-25, which makes them 7th
in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is now 0.5 games behind the 6th seeded Pacers
for the last guaranteed playoff spot. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games and
currently on a 2-game winning streak. Their next game will be on Saturday night
against the Detroit Pistons.
Meanwhile, this loss drops the Cavs to 36-18, which makes
them 2nd in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is now 7 games behind the Boston
Celtics and are currently 8-2 over their last 10 games. Their next game will be
tomorrow night against the Philadelphia 76ers.