How Magic Turned Offense Around in Win vs. Cavaliers

The Orlando Magic's offense rebounded in their 121-83 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Game 3 of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Apr 25, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) shoots the ball / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — The true testament of how good a team is isn't just in how they play when things go well, but their ability to dig themselves out of a hole and be at their best when it matters most. With their playoff lives largely on the line, the Orlando Magic rebounded from two poor offensive performances by blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-83 on Thursday in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at the Kia Center.

The Magic's win cut the series deficit to 2-1, and their 121 points was the most they've scored in a game since March 21. It also gave them their first home playoff win since 2011.

After not being able to break 90 points in Games 1 and 2, Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley credited the offensive turnaround to their ability to make easy shots early on and built on that momentum.

"We got some easy ones," Mosley said. "What we’ve talked about is being able to get out early because we finish the possessions to get out and run and get easy baskets in transition. And I think when you see a couple layups go in, you see a few shots go in, it builds a little bit more and the momentum changes a little bit. We saw that with them in Cleveland and the story was a little different here for us being able to watch the ball go through the hoop.”

All-Star forward Paolo Banchero was at the head of the offensive turnaround, as he had a double-double with 31 points, including shooting 4-9 from 3, and 14 rebounds. Banchero was the youngest player to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds with no turnovers and the first to have that stat line plus at least five assists in under 30 minutes.

"The moment he stepped into his first shot, it didn’t go in, there was no hesitation to his next one," Mosley said. "I think that’s the sign of a young man who’s continued to get better, continued to grow into who he’s becoming, that he does not let a make or a miss rattle what he’s doing. And then you saw the result down the stretch, he was fantastic.”

Jalen Suggs was also stellar, scoring 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the field, including making 3 of his 5 3-pointers. Franz Wagner had 16 points with eight assists, tying his second most of the season, and five rebounds. Orlando also got key contributions off the bench after it struggled to get any production in Games 1 and 2, as Markelle Fultz scored 11 points and Cole Anthony had 10.

For a team with the majority of their players making their first postseason appearance, how they played with their backs against the wall in Game 3 was going to be telling of how much the Magic have grown. They passed that pivotal test with flying colors, and if the Magic can continue to play how they did on Thursday, they'll have a shot to keep winning big games.

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