Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers (Jan. 26, 2026): 3 Things to Watch, Odds and Prediction

• How To Watch: Peacock (National); FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Orlando)
• STREAM MAGIC-CAVALIERS ON FUBO TV
• How to Listen: WYGM 96.9 FM (Orlando); 740 AM (Orlando); WTAM 1100 (Cleveland); 100.7 WMMS (Cleveland); Sirius XM Channel 86 (Cavs); NBA Audio League Pass (National)
• FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
• Tickets: $4-$335+ on StubHub
• Season Series: Cavs 119, Magic 105 in Orlando on Jan. 24; Tonight in Cleveland; March 11 in Orlando; March 24 in Cleveland

Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch

1. Process then results?

The Orlando Magic painted a more optimistic picture after Saturday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They shot 11-for-40 (27.5 percent) in that game. The difference between Orlando and Cleveland was purely in the percentages. The Magic did not make enough shots to stay in the game.

But on the postgame podium, coach Jamahl Mosley and guard Desmond Bane both lauded the team's energy and process. They believed the team played a brand of basketball that would win most of the time. They worked to get open shots, and they just did not fall.

There is something to that.

Despite taking one of the fewest 3-point attempts per game in the league, the Magic are 13th with 20.0 wide-open 3-point attempts per game, according to NBA.com's tracking data. They make 35.7 percent of those shots (the sixth-worst in the league).

But there is something to the process. The Magic get open threes, even if that is defensive indifference.

Against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, the Orlando Magic were 10 for 32 (31.3 percent) on "wide-open" threes. The Magic indeed got the looks they were looking for. It is just about making them.

2. Stalled Star Progress

The big bet that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic made this season was the right one. They believed Evan Mobley and Paolo Banchero would both take leaps into the All-NBA world.

Progress is not linear. Nobody should be giving up on either player and abandoning their larger projects. But the Magic and Cavs are where they are because these two players have not taken the imagined leaps.

Banchero's struggles are well chronicled. He is averaging 21.1 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game (a career high) and 4.9 assists per game. He is shooting 45.5 percent (tying a career high) and 28.7 percent from three. Banchero averages 7.7 free throw attempts per game.

In Banchero's last 12 games, he is averaging 23.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game on 49.0/38.8/77.8 shooting splits. That includes 27 points in Saturday's game, although 15 of those came in the fourth quarter.

Banchero's numbers are back to the elite level they were at the last two years. The biggest complaints are about his intangibles and leadership.

Mobley is averaging 17.9 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 30.3 percent from three. It is not a bad year, but it is a regression and not the progress the Cavs needed to leap into contention.

Mobley had 13 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's game, making only 4 of 14 shots and one of six from three.

3. Fixing the offense

Everyone knows there is a lot broken about the Orlando Magic's offense. It has sunk to 20th in the league now, risking breaking the never-ending streak of seasons with a bottom-10 offensive rating. The Magic are trying to find some rhythm.

Some of that is that the team cannot shoot. If the Magic make shots, it covers everything else up. That is about results.

But it is also about the team not defending well enough and getting the transition opportunities that fed the offense earlier in the season.

Orlando is still ninth in the league with 22.4 transition possessions per game, according to data from Synergy Sports. But the team is now 11th in the league with 1.14 points per possession in transition. This is still better than last year, but a massive downgrade from earlier in the season.

Since Dec. 7, Orlando has averaged 21.7 transition possessions per game but scored only 1.08 points per possession. That is certainly one area where the Magic miss Franz Wagner. But this is also about the team's lack of creation off their defense.

Orlando is scrambling for its identity in every way. And this is a way that it shows itself most.

Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers: Injury Report & Projected Lineups

Orlando Magic Injury Report

• Franz Wagner - OUT (Left High Ankle Sprain Injury Management)
• Colin Castleton - OUT (G-League Two-Way)

Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report

• Darius Garland - OUT (Right Great Toe Sprain)
• De'Andre Hunter - QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee Soreness)
• Max Strus - OUT (Left Foot Surgery Jones Fracture)
• Sam Merrill - QUESTIONABLE (Right Hand Sprain)
• Chris Livingston - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
• Luke Travers - OUT (G-League Two-Way)

Projected Starting Lineups

Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers: Prediction

Our Record: 25-19/19-25 ATS

The Orlando Magic are in such a bad way that the team seemed to be pleased with their effort and the progress that was signaling since the result did not go their way.

To be clear, the Magic have long graduated from patting themselves on the back for their effort. That is a minimum expectation. A minimum expectation that they failed to meet.

There are a few things that Orlando hopes can build some momentum.

Paolo Banchero's 15-point fourth quarter was mesmerizing and was a reminder of how good he can be. He was uneven in the first three quarters, but his 12 free throw attempts were his second straight game with 10 or more attempts, the first time for that since Dec. 18-20.

But in the end, the Magic could not make shots to take advantage of it, and Donovan Mitchell was truly masterful in the second half, scoring 20 of his 36 points in the second half to keep the Magic from making any serious run.

Right now, Orlando does not have a player who can take over like Mitchell, no matter how much they are waiting for Banchero to become that. And nothing is consistent. Will the Magic get that same effort again or will the team revert to its frustrating patterns?

That remains the difference. There might be more progress, but seeing must be believing.