Statement Win over Cavaliers Reminds Magic of What's Possible

The Orlando Magic concluded a 3-2 road trip on Sunday with their best win this season, toppling the Cleveland Cavaliers down the stretch. Are they rounding into shape at the right time? The Magic hope so.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) celebrates his three-point basket in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. / David Richard-Imagn Images

CLEVELAND –– Saturday night in Cleveland, Jamahl Mosley had time to reflect.

The industrial city nestled on the banks of Lake Erie has been transformative for him – both in career and life. It's where he spent four years as an assistant coach on his way to one day becoming one of 30 NBA head coaches, and it's where he met his wife, Kristina, who he's now a father to three children with.

It's also where his Orlando Magic fell agonizingly short a year ago in their first taste of playoff experience under his tutelage. Aspects of that experience have certainly influenced portions and aspirations of the current campaign, too.

But by the time he arrived at the 31-year-old arena the next morning for an afternoon primetime matinee against the NBA's best team, that time for reflection was over.

"I thought about that last night ... Yes, there's beautiful and fantastic memories of Cleveland here," said Mosley before his team's nationally televised clash with the familiar foe. "At the same time, this is the game today on Sunday at 1 o'clock that we have to take care of the Cleveland Cavaliers more than it is about the past of what has been done here."

The Magic did just that.

Orlando's defense came to play, reducing the NBA's most potent offense to a shell of itself and mostly limiting the road environment from ever being too hostile to contend with. In the end, the Magic powered through to a stunning, come-from-behind five-point victory that likely ranks as this season's best statement for Mosley's squad.

Cleveland had been a house of horrors for visitors this season, sporting a near-impenetrable 30-4 record in its home gym. That's not to mention the Cavs entered the contest on a 16-game winning streak – the NBA's longest in two years.

Orlando does account for one of those 30 home Cavalier wins from November, and a 40-point beatdown at the Kia Center was perhaps Cleveland's most impressive of the 16 victories on the streak.

But, the Magic are now also why Cleveland is 30-5 at home, and the streak is no more.

"It's huge for us as a team. Forget about them," Jonathan Isaac told reporters Sunday in Orlando's postgame locker room. "To come together and pull off a win like this is fantastic."

"It serves as a small reminder of what type of team we are, who we are," said Anthony Black (17 points, 3-3 from 3PT). "Shows us we can go toe-to-toe and beat any team in the league."

Added Black: "Headed toward the back half of the year, we have to try and keep our momentum going ... and try to rattle off a couple games in a row."

Orlando has 13 games remaining in the regular season, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference at 32-37. As of Monday, the Magic are a half-game behind Atlanta for the No. 7 seed. While No. 6 Detroit's 5.5 game gap may be too far out of reach, the incentive to pass the Hawks lays in having home court for any Play-In game the Magic face.

More: Eastern Conference Play-In Race Tracker

While the result came loaded with significance, the mood in the winners' locker room was uplifting, yet business-like. Orlando knows there's still work to be done.

"We already knew what we were capable of, but ... to see it, actually play almost a complete game, felt good," Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (15 points) told reporters postgame. "I think that's going to be good for us finishing the season as far as sticking together."

"I think it's a huge win," said Gary Harris, who scored only two points but was a game-high plus-17 in 20 minutes Sunday. "I think any win we can get right now is big for us as we try to put together some momentum going into this postseason. They were on a 16-game win streak, but we were on a one-game losing streak.

"It was time for us to get off the losing streak and it was good to break that, but now we've got to use this momentum to go take care of Houston at home."

After a five-game, 10-day road trip, the Magic took home a 3-2 mark into some much-needed rest before springing back into action.

The return matchup of this season's series with the Rockets looms Wednesday evening. Orlando will be just nine days removed from the low-scoring struggle that marked the first of two losses on the now-concluded stretch of road games.

But, an overall successful road trip has the results to back it – gutting out wins over good teams, taking care of business versus lesser opponents, and having a foundation to build off of in losses.

Now, the Magic hope they're rounding into shape at the right time. Does that mean their victory over the Cavaliers is a high point of pride?

"I'm actually more proud of the way in which we're playing, win or lose," Mosley said. "In that moment, I'm proud of how we're playing. In these moments, you're going to lose some you shouldn't lose and you're going to win some you don't know if you should win.

"But how you play is so important for us right now, because it's good basketball in March and April."

Up Next

Orlando hosts Houston at the Kia Center on Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. ET.

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