Cavaliers Get Convincing Win Over Magic in Game 2 – Game two in the Orlando Magic’s best of seven series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers was dubbed the ‘bounce back’ game by the Magic. However, it was more like the same song on repeat to their performance in Saturday’s game, Orlando losing that contest, 97-83, on a night where the Magic never found their rhythm offensively.
And yet for all the chatter about the Magic being able to block out all the noise and respond after getting the Game 1 jitters out of their system, Monday night’s 96-86 loss looked eerily similar to their first.
Although the Magic were slightly better on the offensive end, scoring three more points overall, they shot a dismal 36.3% from the field and were 9-of-35 from 3-point range. Forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner led the charge with 21 and 18 points respectively, but were overwhelmed and outmatched by the Cavaliers.
“Our defense is what we thought it was, but it’s not going to win us a game,” added Banchero. “We have to be better on the other end.”
Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 23 points, while big man Jarrett Allen put together a dominant performance crashing the glass, with a game-high 20 rebounds. Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley acknowledged and praised his team’s ability to never give up and fight back after trailing early on, and the Magic scratching and clawing to trim the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter, but said Orlando needs to come out of the gate stronger to find any sort of consistency and momentum.
“We go on a run, we get great looks, and they don’t drop,” he said postgame. “That’s some of the momentum. And then they do a great job of packing the paint in so as you’re attacking in, you’re seeing bodies, so you spray it out. But we have to be confident in shooting the basketball.”
Magic guard Jalen Suggs went down with a sprained left knee in the opening quarter. He sprawled to the floor after making contact with Mitchell and immediately grabbed his leg in agonizing pain. After being helped up, an emotional Suggs could not bear any weight on his leg as he was carried to the locker room.
However, the former Minnesota high school football star returned after halftime donning a sleeve on his leg. He finished with nine points and sparked a rally in the fourth quarter as the Magic scored 13 unanswered points to pull within nine, 87-78.
After falling behind two games to none in the series, guard Jalen Suggs emphasized the importance of being able to put the losses in perspective and not let that negativity carry over.
“It doesn’t even make sense to let two, two-hour long games weigh more than what we’ve done for an entire season,” Suggs said. “We continue to believe in ourselves, put in the work, stay game plan disciplined, and keep putting up shots.”
The Magic now return to Orlando for game three on Thursday night at the Kia Center.
And…
Knicks Beat 76ers to Take 2-0 Lead – The Philadelphia 76ers seemed to have secured and locked up a win at Madison Square Garden on Monday. The Knicks stole it right back.
The 76ers fought their way back from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit to take a five-point lead, 101-96, in the game’s final minute. But things went haywire in the game’s final seconds as the Knicks rallied for a wild 104-101 victory and 2-0 series lead in the first round of the playoffs.
New York had the ball and trailed by five with 32 seconds remaining on the clock. Donte DiVincenzo drove through the 76ers defense like a sieve to the bucket, then kicked the ball to the left wing to Jalen Brunson. Brunson sidestepped Tyrese Maxey, then drained a clutch 3-pointer to make it a one possession game, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 101-99.
The 76ers had the ball back with a two-point advantage and the game clock at 27 seconds. But they could not get the ball cleanly in bounds.
Maxey had difficulty handling Kyle Lowry’s inbounds pass, and Josh Hart stripped it from him. He dished the rock out to DiVincenzo, who missed an open 3-pointer from the wing. However, he was given another opportunity.
Isaiah Hartenstein corralled the offensive board and found DiVincenzo for another look at a go-ahead 3. This time, DiVincenzo found the bottom of the net from the top of the key to take a 102-101 lead.
The 76ers eventually got a clean look to tie the game at the buzzer. But Joel Embiid’s 3-pointer clanged off the rim as the horn sounded, sending Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.
The victory spoiled big nights from the duo of Maxey (35 points) and Embiid (34 points) and saw the Knicks rally from a 9-0 hole and 10-point first half deficit. The series now heads back to the city of ‘Brotherly Love’, Philadelphia with New York holding a 2-0 lead. It was too close for comfort for the Knicks to being tied at 1-1.
The night began much better for the 76ers. Maxey was questionable during the day with an illness and Embiid was limited in shoot around with the ailing surgically repaired knee that has plagued him since his return to the lineup late in the regular season. Both were medically cleared to play before tipoff.
Maxey came out on fire doing and getting where ever he wanted on the floor. He opened the scoring with three consecutive triples to send the 76ers off to a fast start with a 9-0 lead.
By halftime, he had put up 20 and Embiid like the manchild he is, had collected a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The 76ers took a 53-49 lead into the locker room. Up to that point, the Knicks were trailing throughout. That would change midway through the third quarter.
The Knicks battled back through the third before Brunson hit a layup among the trees with four minutes left, to take New York’s first lead at 68-67. Early in the fourth, Bojan Bogdanovic knocked down back-to-back 3s, his first two buckets of the game, to give New York an 85-78 advantage.
The Knicks extended their lead to 90-82 and looked firmly in control with 7:43 remaining. But the 76ers were not done yet.
Led by six points from Maxey, Philadelphia mounted a 12-4 run to tie the game at 94. Consecutive buckets by Maxey including a shot from downtown with 1:09 remaining, put the 76ers back in control with a 100-96 lead. A Lowry free throw extended the lead to five points with 47.1 seconds left.
Then the hectic final moments of the game ensued to seal the unlikely Knicks win.
Maxey and Embiid both had big games. Maxey finished with a game-high 35 points and 10 assists and was one rebound shy of a triple-double with nine. He shot 12 of 22 from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range.
Embiid was clearly hobbled by his knee as the game wore on and labored at times to get up and down the court. Even with all of that, he finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and one block. His knee appeared to bother him in the post as he failed to grab a rebound after halftime.
The Sixers stars did not get much help. Tobias Harris was the only other Philadelphia player in double figures on a 10-point, nine-rebound night.
The Knicks got a balanced attack, with all five starters scoring in double figures. Brunson led the way with 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists, despite missing 21 of his 29 shots. Hart came up big with 21 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He hit 4-of-7 3-point attempts.
DiVincenzo swished 4-of-8 from 3-point land in route to 19 points. Hartenstein posted 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday with the 76ers left to wonder what might have been.
