The Magic Insider

Orlando Magic Looks Sharp in Win vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't keep up with the Orlando Magic in their preseason contest on Thursday.

Jeremy Brener

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is coming home with a perfect road trip after a 108-105 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at RocketMortgage FieldHouse.

The game acted as a mini dress rehearsal for the Magic as Jamahl Mosley elected to play a traditional rotation through nearly three quarters.

The Magic was tied at the end of the first, but broke away in the second by outscoring the Cavs 32-20 and taking a 12-point lead into the locker room.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

In the second half, the Magic held serve and prevented the Cavs from getting back into the game with consistent, smooth possessions. The Cavs bench players fought until the very end, pulling within three with less than a minute to go, but the Magic was able to hold them off.

For the Magic, Franz Wagner led the way with 18 points. Markelle Fultz was off to a strong start with 10 first-quarter points. He finished the game with 13. Joining them in double figures was Moe Wagner, who scored 14 off the bench.

For the Cavs, Darius Garland led all scorers with 19 points, while Donovan Mitchell struggled with nine points on 3 of 14 shooting.

The Magic can walk away from its road trip with heads held high as the team looks ready for the regular season opener in two weeks time against the Houston Rockets.

The Magic is back in action at home on Tuesday when the team hosts the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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