Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 116, Cleveland Cavaliers 104

The Orlando Magic did not need a whole lot to take care of business, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers behind some solid outside shooting.

The Orlando Magic needed this.

They needed a game where the opponent would make mistakes and all they had to do was focus on themselves and execute on both ends to get a win. They needed a big lead and the chance to get themselves back into rhythm.

They just needed something easy.

Maybe easy is the wrong word in a NBA game. The Cleveland Cavaliers are plenty dangerous and took advantage of the Orlando Magic’s moment of inattentiveness. They attacked the offensive glass and when the Magic started turning the ball over late, they took advantage in transition.

None of that came until later in the game. Orlando was able to get away with its mistakes. The Magic’s focus on moving the ball better and getting more quality shots worked out well with Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross hitting shots all night long. The team got a big lift from Mohamed Bamba‘s five 3-pointers too in a 116-104 win over Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

The Magic will likely breathe some sigh of relief for some of the rougher moments in the game. The team ended the first half on a poor run, letting Cleveland cut into the deficit.

But Orlando put the clamps down in the early third quarter, extending its lead out to as much as 17 points. The Magic were able to move the ball to get open shots. They forced a ton of turnovers with strong closeouts and dictated the tempo of the game.

The Magic shot 48.4 percent from the floor and scored 25 points off 25 Cavaliers turnovers. The Magic were able to loosen the defense to get open looks and keep the Cavaliers at bay.

Several players stepped up throughout. And the Magic’s initial defense was strong, even if they struggled to corral rebounds (14 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds) for some stretches and got sucked into some ragged play.

More than anything the game was just a relief. Proof that this team can win despite their injuries. They can put together a solid run of play and they can take care of business.

That is at least something to build upon.

The Orlando Magic return home Friday to debut their City Edition jerseys against the Toronto Raptors.