SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on December 30, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Improved Magic set for litmus test against Cavaliers…
The Cleveland Cavaliers take the NBA’s best record and a seven-game winning streak into a road matchup Tuesday against the Orlando Magic, who are looking to build on their own success of late.
Since dropping nine of 10 games amid an injury-plagued stretch in January and the first week of February, Orlando has rebounded to win five of its last eight.
The Magic are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference following a 110-90 home victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The victory put them three games behind Detroit for the last guaranteed playoff berth.
One reason for the surge? Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the lineup together since Jan. 23 after Banchero missed more than two months and Wagner missed a month and a half with oblique injuries.
Wagner averages 25.1 points in 39 games to lead the Magic, while Banchero produces 22.9 points per game over 25 contests. They both average 4.9 assists to set the team pace.
With the team’s stars together and healthy, Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley emphasized finding the right playing combinations to generate offense without sacrificing the Magic’s NBA-best 105.2 points allowed per game.
Orlando is scoring only 104.3 points per game, which is last in the league. But when the Magic exceeded that mark five times in the last eight games, it went 4-1 in those contests.
“Trying different rotations and looks, we’re going to have to continue to find guys (who) can provide a spark,” Mosley said. “These guys all stay prepared. They stay ready for their moment.”
Anthony Black, who scored 23 points on Sunday, is one such player. The second-year guard has scored in double-figures five times in the last eight games – all Orlando wins.
All scoring options for the Magic will be on call Tuesday against the NBA’s most prolific scoring offense. Cleveland is averaging an NBA-best 122.9 points per game behind Donovan Mitchell’s 24.2 average. Darius Garland scores 21.3 points per game while Evan Mobley adds 18.7.
Garland (hip) missed the Cavaliers’ 129-123 win on Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies, but Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said that Garland could be back in the lineup Tuesday. The Cavaliers also saw Jarrett Allen exit Sunday’s game in the third quarter.
Allen, who averages 13.6 points and a team-leading 10.4 rebounds per game, had a finger injury earlier in the week against New York. His status for Tuesday is uncertain.
Mitchell scored 33 points to set the pace versus the Grizzlies. Mobley added 25 and Ty Jerome erupted for 26 off the bench with 15 coming in the fourth quarter.
Jerome has emerged as a reliable offensive weapon for Cleveland with 13 double-figure scoring games over the last 17, including a 33-point outburst Jan. 24 at Philadelphia.
Cleveland also added perimeter scoring punch with the acquisition of De’Andre Hunter from Atlanta in a deal that sent veteran Caris LeVert to the Hawks. In five games since joining the Cavaliers, Hunter has averaged 13.4 points per game.
