CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavs saw their win streak snapped by the team they sent packing during the opening round of the playoffs last year.
Paolo Banchero scored 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists and Franz Wagner added 22 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Magic past the Cavs 108-103 at Rocket Arena.
Here’s the top Wine & Gold nuggets from Sunday afternoon.
Snapped – The longest win streak in franchise history came to an end as the Cavs lost for the first time since February 4 against Boston at home. “We obviously did not shoot it well, but I told the guys in the locker room, listen man, 16 in a row [is impressive],” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said. It was also the first loss of the season when leading or tied after three quarters. “You're not going to win every game,” De’Andre Hunter, who finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds, said. “So the streak was cool, but back to reality, looking to start another.”
Going cold – Cleveland has been one of the better three-point shooting teams in the league this year, but the shots simply didn’t drop Sunday. Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 23 points but was an uncharacteristic 3-14 from beyond the arc. “You got to give them credit, they were physical,” Mitchell said. “We missed some shots, we only made 10 of them, but some of the looks we got were open, we just missed. But also some of it was self-inflicted, so that's what the film was for.” As a team the Cavs shot just 10-40 from deep, which is why there wasn’t much concern over the loss. “We missed a lot of shots,” Jarrett Allen, who scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds for his 37th double-double of the season, said. “We missed a lot of wide-open stuff, but before that screening, getting open, offensive rebounding, we did every single thing we could to put us in a position to win.”
Flipped in third – Orlando wiped out an 8-point Cavs advantage late in the third quarter in the blink of an eye by forcing three consecutive turnovers. “They're an excellent defensive team,” Atkinson said. “I thought that stretch at the end of the third quarter. I hate to nitpick on one thing, but where they turned us over, I think they got tied twice. They got Donovan. That seemed like, it seemed like it flipped it, but we did not have our normal ball movement tonight. Got ISO heavy and they kept us out of transition.” The quick run stole momentum for the visitors the Cavs were unable to reclaim. “I think myself and Ty get those three in a row to end, right around the end, the third, and then you're playing uphill battle, giving them in life and juice,” Mitchell said and give them credit. But also like I said, self-inflicted stuff and it's not who we've been and nothing to overreact to or freak out about. We will be better. We have no doubt.”
Give it away – Orlando forced 12 second half turnovers that helped them outscored the Cavs by 14 over the final 24 minutes. “They started picking up full court and you know how it is, you get turned over once or twice then it's like, it's like blood in the water,” Atkinson said. “They were just all over us and they picked up their physicality and we talked about in the huddle we have to screen better, we got to work harder to get open play with more force offensively, but we obviously didn't respond”
Missing Mobley – Forward Evan Mobley was sidelined Sunday due to a foot injury and the Cavs fell to 5-3 without him in the lineup. “I've been trying to tell you all that since the beginning of the year,” Mitchell said of Mobley’s importance. “But like I said, this is a game where obviously he would help big time, but we also got to hold ourselves with account because we should have won this game and that's on us. But maybe one day I believe me when I say Evan Mobley is who he is.”
Early exit – Magic reserve Cole Anthony suffered a left big toe injury and did not return. Anthony scored 2 points in 6 minutes off the bench in the first half for Orlando.
Hit the road – The Cavs head west for a five-game road trip starting Tuesday night against the Clippers followed by stops in Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah, and Portland.
Starting 5 – Atkinson started Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, Max Strus, and Jarrett Allen.
