Orlando, FL – The Orlando Magic came into Game 2 with hopes to take a game away from home before heading back to the Kia Center, but the team failed to show up and suffered a 96-86, their second straight game failing to reach the 90-point mark. Down 0-1 prior to this game, the Magic desperately needed to bounce back to try and even the series, but their offensive struggles persisted.
Right from the opening tip-off, the Cavaliers went straight to work, outscoring the Magic 30-18 in a dominant first-quarter performance, which was oddly similar to Game 1. Orlando found themselves playing catch-up for the rest of the game and were ultimately unable to close the gap despite some spirited efforts down the stretch. Things went from bad to worse after Jalen Suggs went down with a scary looking knee injury on the second quarter. The stretch without Suggs was hard for the Magic, but luckily it didn’t last too long and ge eventually came back after he was cleared by the medical staff.
Their biggest weakness all year, the Magic once again struggled to find their rhythm offensively, shooting 36.2% from the field and 25.7% from beyond the arc, their second consecutive game where they shot well below league average. Key players like Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero put up respectable numbers, with 18 points and 21 points respectively, but paired with six turnovers each, their efforts were not enough to offset the Cavaliers’ relentless defensive pressure and timely shot-making.
Defensively, the Magic made some plays and showed signs of resilience, but they were unable to contain the dynamic duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, who combined for 38 points and tormented the Magic by showcasing their elite level of offensive control and feel for the game. Additionally, the towering presence of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the paint made life difficult for Orlando. The Magic simply don’t have the bodies to match up with either one of these two big men and Cleveland took full advantage of that. Mobley had Banchero locked up all night, taking away his favorite drives and often forcing the sophomore to second-guess himself and take a less favorable shot or make a bad pass. Allen used his height offensively to put pressure on the rim and force switches, which led to either easy buckets or fouls to Magic players, both of which frustrated the team since they could not adjust in time. For a good stretch of the game, Orlando’s answer was to have Jonathan Isaac anchoring the paint well and holding his own, but after a slew of fouls and continuous pressure from different Cavalier players cutting in, Orlando had to adjust their defensive scheme back to a man defense.
Despite trailing by double digits for most of the game, the Magic mounted a late comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, sparked by the energetic play of Mo Wagner, who helped fuel a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits with just a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell had other plans and stepped up for the Cavaliers, extinguishing any hopes of a miraculous comeback and helping Cleveland seal the victory.
With this loss, the Magic find themselves in a dangerous position heading back to Orlando for Game 3. Trailing 0-2 in the series is never a good sign and the uphill battle to keep their playoff hopes alive is going to be a tough one with the Magic’s lack of playoff experience. They will need to spark some great offense quickly and make significant adjustments on the defensive ends of the floor if they hope to turn the tide and claw their way back into this series.
