Cavs Insider

Cavs Demonstrate Depth In Win Over The Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic despite not playing any of the team's typical starters.

Tommy Wild

Cavs Demonstrate Depth In Win Over The Magic
Cavs Demonstrate Depth In Win Over The Magic /
In this story:

The Cleveland Cavaliers went with a whole different rotation on Thursday night when they took on the Orlando Magic. 

Just two nights earlier, these two teams met up with Cleveland coming out on top. The Cavs officially clinched the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the 2023 NBA Playoffs with the win which meant it was time to give some of the usuals a rest before the postseason gets rolling. 

Cleveland's starting lineup was:

  • Ricky Rubio - PG
  • Cedi Osman - SG
  • Lamar Stevens - SF
  • Dean Wade - PF
  • Robin Lopez - C

Isaiah Mobley, Dany Green, Raul Neto, Mamadi Diakite, and Sam Merill all recorded significant minutes off the bench too.

The Cavs were still able to pull off a 118-94 win over the Magic even without playing Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Their largest lead of the night reached a staggering 33 points!

This came after the team was down by double digits too. 

The Magic are out of any sort of playoff contention and aren't the NBA's most talented team. However, this dominant performance from the Cavs still shows how deep this team is.

Cleveland finished with five players in double digits with Green leading the way with 21 points after going 5-for-9 from three. 

This sort of bench depth will become huge once the playoffs start. Typically coaches will try to tighten up the rotation and play the best eight players. But if an unforeseen injury occurs or one of these reserves such as Cedi, Stevens, or Green gets hot then J.B. Bickerstaff has plenty of options that he could go with.

As Bickerstaff said after the game, "We look each other in the eye and know we have each other's back."

--------

You may also like:

Donovan Mitchell Scores 40-Points In Fourth Straight Game As Cavs Beat Magic

Cavs Clinch Top Seed, Home Court Advantage For Playoffs

Three Reasons Why The Cavs Grabbed A Victory Over The Pacers

Cavaliers Closing In On Clinching Home Court Advantage For The Opening Round Of The Playoffs

Cavs Continue To Deal With Injuries As Regular Season Comes To A Close

-----

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more coverage of the Cavaliers!

Follow our comprehensive Cavs coverage through Sports Illustrated's FanNation network here:

Website: www.cavsinsider.com

Photo Credit © Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Published
Tommy Wild
TOMMY WILD

Home/News