Magic Blitzed & Blown Out in Loss vs. Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers had the Orlando Magic's number on Monday night.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 22, 2024

Magic Blitzed & Blown Out in Loss vs. Cavaliers /

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic has a bad taste in its mouth after a 126-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at the Kia Center.

The misfortunes started right at the first possession when the Cavs took a lead that they would never relinquish. The Magic never were truly in the game tonight and looked sluggish and lethargic after beating the Miami Heat at home in a big win just 24 hours prior.

Paolo Banchero Isaac Okoro Cavaliers — Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Cavs were led by All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who scored 25 points and dished out 13 assists. But the unsung hero for Cleveland was Sam Merrill, who knocked down eight 3-pointers en route to a game-high 26 points.

As a team, the Cavs couldn't be cooled off. They shot 56.3 percent from the floor and 52.6 percent from distance. The clips made it close to impossible for the Magic to do much in the game.

The Magic played without Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac, both of whom were resting after appearing in last night's win, but there was still a wide gap between them and the Cavs.

Back-to-backs are challenging, but now Orlando has three full days of rest before returning to the floor on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

Published Jan 22, 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.