Orlando Magic Grades: Cleveland Cavaliers 107, Orlando Magic 93
The Orlando Magic once again fell short against one of the Eastern Conference’s worst. A poor defensive effort and no offense hurt the team throughout.
Final. 93. 38. 107. 156
The Orlando Magic could sense the game slipping away. So they turned to their most important offensive players to get them back into the game. Nikola Vucevic and D.J. Augustin were their saviors all year. And they were the only ones who could potentially get the Magic and avoid another potentially disheartening loss to one of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams.
A 17-0 run helped the Cleveland Cavaliers push back into the lead after the Orlando Magic made their own push. A defensive energy spurt helped Orlando do that. But it petered out. And as the Magic missed their own shots, the lead shrank and became a deficit that would grow to double digits.
Orlando got back into the game. D.J. Augustin and Nikola Vucevic helped stabilize things for a moment. But it was just a moment.
Cleveland erased any hope quickly. The shots the Cavaliers missed finally started to fall. They hit five 3-pointers in the final quarter from Kevin Love, Jordan Clarkson and then a dagger from Cedi Osman that officially ended all hope of a comeback.
Orlando felt desperation too late. The team simply could not execute on defense as Cleveland paraded to the paint and to the free throw line in a 107-93 loss at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday night.
Orlando again followed up a monumental win with a crushing loss. And it was another opportunity lost to climb the standings and put a bigger grip on their Playoff spot. The Charlotte Hornets’ struggles gave the Orlando Magic the cushion to lose and still hold onto the eighth spot . . . for now.
The Magic again had to ask themselves why they could not take care of their own business and rid themselves of that uncertainty.
Instead, the Cavaliers shot 21 of 23 free throws and got into the paint seemingly at will. Cleveland is one of the worst offensive teams in the league and the team missed a lot of open shots. The Cavaliers started to hit them in the moments that mattered. That is how Cleveland scored 40 points to close the game.
Orlando struggled to get much going offensively throughout the night. That was the crazed up-and-down nature of this game as the Cavaliers would go on a long run and the Magic would answer.
Against a poor Cleveland defense, Orlando shot just 44.3 percent and 6 for 26 from beyond the arc. The Magic took just 11 free throw attempts.
It is getting harder and harder to figure out who this team is on a night-to-night basis. Especially in the games it feels the Magic should be able to take care of.
Nikola Vucevic has been the Orlando Magic’s rock all year. It is hard to find any blame for him in a game like this. He was the only one who seemed to bring consistent energy to the game offensively. He was the only who was seemingly able to get good shots all game. His mere presence stabilized Orlando.<p>It was a shame Vucevic’s efforts went in a loss. Especially a loss like this. He finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. He made 10 of his 13 shots. It was a brilliant display as Vucevic feasted on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ small lineups.</p><p>Vucevic is starting to demand the ball a bit more and that is important for this team. He is just a steadying force for the team. And in games like this, they needed him more than ever. Maybe he could have done more defensively, but it did not seem the Magic were worried about their defense in the second half. They could not score. And Vucevic did about all he could.</p>. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC. A-
F. <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS
<a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER. C-
B. D.J. Augustin deserves some kudos for muscling through a sprained ankle suffered Saturday and giving it a go. He knows everyone is hurt right now and the team needs everything it can get from its best players to win and stay in the race. The Orlando Magic need D.J. Augustin and they will be in trouble without him.<p>Augustin played admirably. He finished with 19 points and five assists on 5-for-10 shooting. He was great at getting the Magic offense organized and in the right spots. The Magic were at their best offensively with him and Vucevic on the floor. His shots were efficient and solid and under control.</p><p>The effects of his injury were most seen on defense. And it was clear. <a rel=. PG. Orlando Magic. D.J. AUGUSTIN
B+. The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing better. They are not quite the team their record reflects. Not of late. Then again, the wins they have gotten lately have been against some also-rans. And while Kevin Love’s return has lifted spirits, it is not like he was a big difference in this game.<p>Cleveland had a poor offensive game in a lot of ways. The Cleveland Cavaliers went cold on several occasions and the Orlando Magic raced ahead on those occasions. But the Magic could not put them away. The Cavaliers did not quit on the game and they got hot and cracked the Magic’s defense.</p><p>It was a weird game. The game came down to whoever got hot late. That team was the Cavaliers. They made the shots when they needed to and frustrated the Magic. Orlando could have done a lot better and Cleveland took advantage.</p>. 16-48. 14th East. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
The Magic are tied with the Hornets for the eighth and final spot in the Playoffs. They trail the Brooklyn Nets by two games for the seventh seed in the Playoffs.
Orlando Magic must find second star to make Playoff push. dark. Next
With five Magic wins or five Cavaliers losses, the Magic will be eliminated from receiving the top odds in the NBA Draft Lottery.