By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Orlando Magic avoided a 0-3 hole and capitalized on their home-court advantage to win Game 3 of their Eastern Conference NBA playoff matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-83, on April 26, 2024.
After losing by an average margin of 12 points in the first two games at Cleveland, the Magic came out firing in Orlando and pulled off a lopsided victory to pull within 2-1 in their first-round clash.
Orlando quickly stepped on the gas pedal in the opening quarter after establishing a 10-point lead after the first 12 minutes of action, 31-21.
The young squad relied on their athleticism and bounce as their young frontcourt led by superstar Paolo Banchero did damage in the shaded lane that put Cleveland’s big men in early foul trouble.
Cleveland tried to replicate its second-quarter performance in Game 2 after blitzing its way to several fast break points but Orlando countered back every time they scored the leather.
At the half, the Magic already hiked its cushion to 16 points and were already comfortable in attacking Cleveland’s frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Orlando then sucked the life out of the Cavaliers in the third after unleashing its best offensive stretch of the game, outscoring Cleveland, 35-16.
With the sizable lead already on hand for the Magic, the Cavaliers decided to empty their bench and waved the white flag in preparation for Game 4.
Banchero was a beast for the Magic after top-scoring the game with 31 big points built from an efficient 13/26 shooting from the field.
Aside from his monster offensive outing, the versatile big man also tallied 14 rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
Jalen Suggs was also a matchup problem for the Cavaliers as the bulky floor general delivered 24 markers, four rebounds, three dimes, two steals, and a block for the Magic.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers capped off the loss with a dismal shooting performance as their main gunner, Donovan Mitchell, was only held to 13 points while his backcourt partner, Darius Garland, only chipped in five.
