The Orlando Magic hope for more home-court dominance in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the best-of-seven set Saturday afternoon.
After being limited to 83 and 86 points in series-opening losses at Cleveland, the Magic regained their offensive footing on their home floor Thursday night, shooting 51.1 percent in a 121-83 romp that narrowed their series deficit to 2-1.
Held to 3-for-11 shooting from 3-point range in the first two games, Magic star Paolo Banchero bombed in 4 of 9 en route to 31 points in the Game 3 win.
He got a lot of help from Jalen Suggs, who rebounded from a 1-for-10 road effort from beyond the arc to bury 3 of 5 in a 24-point performance.
The Magic, who had shot 21.6 and 25.7 percent, respectively, from deep in the two games in Cleveland, overpowered the visitors in Game 3 with a 13-for-37 (35.1 percent) display.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley credited Banchero for setting a new tone, even after he and his mates had missed their first nine shots of the game as the Cavaliers gained an early lead.
“The moment he stepped into his first shot (and) it didn’t go in, there was no hesitation to his next one,” Mosley observed. “And I think that’s the sign of a young man who’s continued to get better, continued to grow into who he is becoming, that he does not let a make or a miss rattle what he’s doing. And then you saw the result down the stretch. He was fantastic.”
The Magic have improved offensively from game to game in terms of points, field-goal percentage, 3-point field-goal percentage and number of made 3-pointers. In Game 3, they became the first team in the series to top 100 points.
Orlando also dominated the visitors on the boards, earning a 51-32 overall advantage while also retrieving 14 of their own misses, turning the offensive rebounds into an additional 22 points.
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff was more concerned about the rebounding than the fact that his team shot series-lows both overall (39.0 percent) and on 3-pointers (23.5 percent).
“It starts with the things that we talk about that impact winning here on the road,” he explained. “We’re capable of doing the small things that impact winning … the rebounding, the 50-50 balls, the physicality, strength … all those things that we were doing at home doesn’t change because we’re on the road.
“And it doesn’t change just because of one game. We’re able to do it. And I expect us to be better (in Game 4).”
While Banchero enjoyed his best game of the series Thursday, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell suffered through his worst. After having led the way at home with 30- and 23-point games, making 20 of his 43 shots, Mitchell was held to 13 points in Game 3, missing 10 of his 16 shots overall and all but one of his six 3-point efforts.
The losing team has yet to score more than 86 points in the series.
“They started knocking down shots, got their crowd fired up,” noted Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, who totaled 18 rebounds in the two wins before collecting just two on Thursday. “So we got to make it tough on them and come up with the rebounds, and maybe their swagger isn’t as strong the next game.”
–Field Level Media
