The Orlando Magic were keeping pace with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Cavaliers turned up the pressure in the third quarter behind the arc.
The Orlando Magic had every reason to feel good heading into halftime. The Cleveland Cavaliers were playing sloppy, and the Magic were taking advantage in just about every way. they were hitting shots and fighting through some of their own inconsistencies. LeBron James was doing what he wanted to do, but that was not enough.
For sure, Orlando would need a stellar effort and hope Cleveland did not go nova.
The Cavaliers went nova, making 18 of 36 3-pointers for the game and nine 3-pointers in a 43-point third quarter. Cleveland turned a two-point halftime deficit into a route with little effort as Orlando was incapable of stemming the tide.
This was a championship team waltzing to a 122-102 win over a Lottery-bound team as the Cavaliers won at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday.It all seemed inevitable for the Magic even as they fought and scrapped to a lead at halftime and fought to lower the deficit early in the fourth quarter.
It all seemed inevitable for the Magic even as they fought and scrapped to a lead at halftime and fought to lower the deficit early in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James was just too much. He finished with a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He helped rip apart the Magic’s defense as the team had to shift its defense to contain him and Kevin Love, often playing against a mismatch with the team trying to keep Aaron Gordon on James.
Everyone played their part as Cleveland moved the ball unselfishly in that killer third quarter. Orlando simply could not stem the tide and get a basket to answer consistently. And so the deficit continue to grow and grow against them.
The Cavaliers made a lot of tough shots, but the team struggled to close out and left the door open for those 3-pointers. That is what makes Cleveland so dangerous. The Cavaliers have the players to break opponents off the dribble and the shooters to spread the floor and make teams pay for the double teams.
The Magic could never reel the team back in.