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Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 114, Cleveland Cavaliers 93

By Philip Rossman-Reich

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 21: Mario Hezonja #8 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 21, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 21: Mario Hezonja #8 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 21, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic stunned the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers with a 3-point barrage and strong defensive effort.

38. Final. 93. 156. 114

D.J. Augustin started the possession with a pick and roll with Nikola Vucevic. He came around the screen to his left and fed the ball to Nikola Vucevic with deep post position. He still had some residual fire from his career night in Brooklyn and drew a double team.

Nikola Vucevic fired the ball out to Terrence Ross in the corner. The defense closed out and he fed it to Jonathan Isaac on the wing. He quickly passed it to D.J. Augustin back out on the wing. The defense scrambling to keep up with the quick passes, D.J. Augustin fired one more time to Evan Fournier in the corner for an open 3-pointer.

And. . . clank.

The Orlando Magic could not hit every 3-pointer they put up in Saturday’s surprising 114-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. But that kind of ball movement was indicative of the kind of play the Magic were committed to throughout.

Orlando hit 17 of 35 3-pointers, including a team-record eight in the first quarter, and had 28 assists on 40 makes. The Magic were playing with the pace and speed they wanted to play, even without Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon available in the lineup.

Orlando put in by far their best effort, even if the team did not have its best offensive effort.

That is more because the Magic played defense at an intense level. The Cavaliers missed plenty of good looks from three early on. But the Orlando Magic were focused and determined on defense to make up for a poor effort in Friday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Cleveland shot just 38.4 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 13 times.

It was a dominant performance for the Magic. Orlando doubled up Cleveland in the first quarter, saw the lead cut down to seven in the third quarter and then went on a game-clinching 31-9 run. It is hard to remember the last time the Magic won a game so thoroughly against a contending team.

Orlando was on the wrong end of many games like this last year. It was a sign of their flaws. For once, the Magic were the ones laying the hammer down and never letting up. A sure sign of growth for this team’s mentality.

A+. Nikola Vucevic once again set the tone for the Orlando Magic. There is no getting around it. He came back from the summer determined to help this team change its course and expanding his game to do so. Vucevic continues to deliver in some very big ways.<p>He followed up his career night Friday with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 11-for-16 shooting. Orlando turned to him in the post to establish the team and kept feeding him the ball. On pick and rolls, he read the defense perfectly, rolling through the open lane or popping out for 3-pointers.</p><p>His feel on offense is very good. That was always the case. He buried a 3-pointer early and that got the Cleveland Cavaliers defense completely out of whack. Vucevic had the Cavaliers completely off balance. And he is slowly proving he has taken his game to another level.</p>. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC

Orlando Magic. JONATHAN ISAAC. B. <a target=. PF

A-. Picking on D.J. Augustin has become a favorite pastime for Orlando Magic fans the last two years and especially early in the season. His fit has always been a question mark for the team. And his play early in the season managing the bench has not been great, on either end.<p>Augustin certainly took advantage of a Cleveland Cavaliers lineup without a true point guard or someone who could challenge him defensively. That freed up Augustin for a stellar game, where his offensive shotmaking with the starting unit could finally go on display.</p><p>Augustin finished with 12 points and 10 assists on 4-for-6 shooting. He took advantage of the Cavaliers’ poor perimeter defense and ran solid pick and rolls with Vucevic and attacked the paint well to find others on the perimeter. Perhaps he could have looked to score more on his own, but he was focused on getting others involved. Safe to say he did a good job managing things in <a target=. PG. Orlando Magic. D.J. AUGUSTIN

B+. <a href=. SG. Orlando Magic. JONATHON SIMMONS

2-1. 3rd East. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS. F. Every team, even good ones, have bad nights. The Cleveland Cavaliers had a bad night. They could not hit shots — 38.4 percent and 7 for 25 from beyond the arc — and they could not get stops. The Orlando Magic just had their way with the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions.<p>But as the Magic well know from last year, losing by 30-plus points or going down by 30-plus points reveals flaws about the team. Losing by that much simply does not happen in the NBA. Not between NBA-quality opponents.</p><p>The Cavaliers had a lot of flaws exposed. Outside LeBron James (22 points) and <a rel=

Next: Nikola Vucevic shows off expanded 3-point range

The Magic return to action Tuesday when they will get a shot at redemption. Orlando hosts Brooklyn at the Amway Center.