Short-handed Magic fall at Cavs, 120-109
Published in Basketball
CLEVELAND — When it rains, it pours.
That adage became reality for the Magic on Friday night when Orlando fell to the Cavaliers, 120-109, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in front of a national TV audience on ESPN.
Less than 24 hours after it was announced star forward Paolo Banchero was ruled out indefinitely due to a torn right oblique (abdominal muscles), the Magic said pregame Wendell Carter Jr. (right knee tendonitis) would miss Friday’s rematch between last year’s No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the East playoffs.
In addition, reserve center Goga Bitadze (left foot tendon strain) missed his third straight contest.
Despite efforts from Jalen Suggs (career-high 28 points) and Franz Wagner (17), Orlando couldn’t slow Cleveland’s Darius Garland (25), Donovan Mitchell (22) and Evan Mobley (14), who combined for 61.
The Cavs improved to 6-0 on the year.
The Magic (3-3) continue their five-game road trip in Dallas on Sunday, the first contest of a back-to-back before Orlando travels to Oklahoma City the next night.
Starting 5
With Carter out, Moe Wagner made his first start of the season, and just his second in two years, for Magic coach Jamahl Mosley.
Moe Wagner (14 points) joined his younger brother Franz, second-year guard Anthony Black (7), Kentavious-Caldwell-Pope (7), and Suggs in Orlando’s opening lineup.
Both Wagners had eight points at halftime before Franz totaled double figures. Franz initiated the offense at times and racked up six assists.
Suggs portrayed patience in the paint when attacking the paint, where he scored majority of his points. He was active as a playmaker with eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Second unit
With Moe Wagner and Black inserted in Orlando’s starting lineup, Mosley had to get creative with his bench.
Rookie Tristan da Silva played alongside Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, Jett Howard, and Jonathan Isaac as part of the second group.
The No. 18 pick, who had only played 5 minutes late on opening night, scored his first career points on a clean cut to the basket in the first frame. Da Silva, who shot 39.5% from 3 as a senior at Colorado, sunk a pair of triples in the first half before he totaled 17 to lead the bench in scoring.
When Isaac and Moe Wagner were on the bench, Mosley used small-ball lineups with multiple guards and lengthy wings in search of something different to attack Cleveland’s defense.
Difference in size
Missing multiple big men in Carter and Bitadze, Orlando had a hard time on the boards against Cleveland’s bigs Mobley and 6-11 Jarrett Allen.
The Cavs out-rebounded the Magic 49-38 by the end of the night with Mobley (12 rebounds) and Allen (11) cleaning up around the rim.
Although the Cavs held an advantage on the boards, the Magic still outscored them 56-46 in the paint.
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