Magic Start Second Half Strong, Beat Cavs on Road

The Orlando Magic came back from the All-Star Break on the right foot, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 22, 2024

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic are picking up where they left off a week ago, pulling out a big 116-109 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night at RocketMortgage Fieldhouse.

The Magic played well on both sides of the ball out of the gate, building a lead in the first quarter. However, the Cavs kept pace with the Magic throughout the night, keeping things close right up until the fourth quarter.

Orlando held a four-point lead in the fourth, but at the start of the quarter, the Magic piled on a 14-7 run that buried the Cavs for good. Cleveland got within six points with three minutes to go, but that was the closest they ever reached.

The Magic had a balanced attack, fueled by consistent play from their bench unit. Moe Wagner led all scorers with 22 points; he was one of six Magic players in double figures, joining Paolo Banchero, his brother Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Joe Ingles and Cole Anthony.

The Cavs were led by Jarrett Allen, Max Strus and Darius Garland, all of whom had 18 points apiece. Cleveland played without Donovan Mitchell tonight, who sat out due to an illness.

'Every Game Counts': Magic's Mentality to Close Out the Season

The win for the Magic is a great start to their second half, which by strength of schedule is the easiest in the NBA. Tonight was one of their more difficult games on the schedule, so to pull out a victory against the Cavs, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, is a strong bode of confidence.

The Magic are back in action on Saturday night against the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.

Published Feb 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.