Cavs’ Disappointing Loss Shows Importance of This Star Player

The Cleveland Cavaliers were stunned on Sunday afternoon by the Orlando Magic and the result emphasized the importance of one player.

Feb 20, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) posts up against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

The scrappy Orlando Magic never stopped fighting on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Cavaliers and came away with a 108-103 victory. At multiple points in the game, the Cavs had double-digit leads, including a 12-point halftime lead thanks to a buzzer beater from De’Andre Hunter.

It felt like a typical Cavaliers game that we have grown accustomed to where Cleveland flips a switch and turns up the heat to pull away. Sunday was different. The Magic would not go away and after a few timely possessions and an ice-cold stretch from the Cavs, they were in the lead as the clock struck zero.

Without getting into Sunday being one of Cleveland’s worst shooting performances of the season from both beyond the arc and at the free throw stripe, the Cavs were also down Evan Mobley. Mobley sat out Sunday’s game with a foot injury and his lack of presence was felt by Cleveland. 

Jarrett Allen played a very nice game in his absence as he finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting. However, not having Mobley really impacted Cleveland’s lineup rotations and their defensive coverages.

Hunter has almost exclusively come off the bench in his time with the Cavaliers, but he was thrust into the starting lineup. That impacted Cleveland’s second team, which is usually led by Ty Jerome and Hunter. 

Also, the injury resulted in Tristan Thompson getting meaningful minutes for the first time in a very long time. He battled in his 11 minutes of action, but had zero points and only three rebounds.

Mar 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) reacts in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Further, the Cavs had to play small at times and one thing about Orlando is that it brings a ton of size to the table. Paolo Banchero stands at 6-foot-10, but plays with the ball in his hands consistently. He is a guy that Mobley would be a perfect matchup for, but instead, Cleveland countered with smaller lineups trying to defend him with multiple guys. 

It worked for the most part, but when he needed to score he was able to very easily.

Yes, Cleveland shot poorly but not having the potential Defensive Player of the Year in Evan Mobley proved to be too much for the Cavs to handle and they came out on the short end on Sunday.

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