Magic Must 'Take Care of Home' in Game 3 vs. Cavaliers

The Orlando Magic are hoping to win their home games against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 24, 2024

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) reacts in the fourth / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

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ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic are returning home in their 2024 NBA Playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers after a pair of losses at RocketMortgage Fieldhouse.

The Magic ranked third in the Eastern Conference this season in home wins behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, so coming back to central Florida is expected to be a big boost for the team.

"We'll take care of home," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "I think that's what Cleveland did. They took care of their home court and that's that's what we have to do. Obviously being able to make some adjustments throughout the game, things that we see, things that we saw on film that these guys have communicated, that we've communicated with them, but the main message is being able to take care of home court."

In simple terms, the Magic need to win at home. A loss on Thursday night would mean the team has to win four consecutive games, two of which would come on the road in Cleveland. In order to not face elimination in Cleveland, the Magic have to win both games in Orlando on Thursday and Saturday. If they can do that and tie the series, it will be a whole new ball game when the teams meet back in Cleveland for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Tipoff between the Cavs and Magic is set for 7 p.m. ET tomorrow.

Related stories on the Orlando Magic

MAGIC LOOKING FOR BIG SHOT IN GAME 3: The Orlando Magic's offensive woes and inability to make momentum-changing shots have dug them into a 2-0 hole against the Cleveland Cavaliers. CLICK HERE

COLE ANTHONY IS FRUSTRATED: Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony has yet to make a field goal throughout the first two games of the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. CLICK HERE

SLOW STARTS: The Orlando Magic have lost 13 of their last 15 first quarters dating back to the regular season. That needs to change if they want to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. CLICK HERE

SUGGS EXPECTED TO PLAY GAME 3: The Orlando Magic are expecting to have Jalen Suggs in the lineup for Thursday's Game 3 after hurting his knee in the early part of Game 2. CLICK HERE

WENDELL BOOSTS BENCH: Orlando Magic point guard Cole Anthony is excited to have Wendell Carter Jr. in the second unit alongside him. CLICK HERE

Published Apr 24, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.