Magic Blitzed & Blown Out in Loss vs. Cavaliers
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.
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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.
