Turnovers Plague Cavs In Loss To Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers turned the ball over 18 times in their loss to the Orlando Magic.

If you can't hold onto the basketball, it's going to be hard to win games. The Cleveland Cavaliers learned this the hard way on Thursday night as they lost, 109-116, to the Orlando Magic.

It's not uncommon for teams to need to shake off some rust coming back from the All-Star Break. However, the Cavs' came out sloppy and the Magic took the floor ready to play and the box score made that very clear.  

Cleveland committed 18 turnovers which turned into 28 points for the Magic. Considering the Cavs only lost by seven points, these issues are what separated the two teams in the end.

Some may point to Donovan Mitchell's absence as a reason that Cleveland struggled with ball security, but that responsibility can't solely fall on him. The Cavs can't rely on Mitchell to be their playmaker who always makes the best decisions.  

It wasn't just the turnovers though.

The Cavaliers have been one of the best defenses in the NBA since the middle of December. That wasn't the case against the Magic as they put on a shooting clinic against Cleveland. The Magic shot 51% from the floor and a staggering 56% from behind the arc. 

Feb 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) shoots beside Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

There are a few silver ling though.

J.B. Bickerstaff stressed that Darius Garland needs to "be himself and play basketball" when he's on the floor. That's exactly what DG did on Thursday as he finished with 18 points while shooting 50% (6-12) from the floor and 60% (3-5) from behind the arc. Garland just needed a game where he saw the ball go in the hoop and that's what happened. 

Isaac Okoro also had himself a game. He finished with 17 points and shot an efficient 78% (7-9) from the floor. Ice continues to elevate his game in every aspect of it and he's having a career year because of it.

The Cavs need to shake off this loss. They fly out to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Friday for the second half of this double-header.