ORLANDO, FL – You know what they say about good old home cooking, and well, that seemed to do the trick for the Orlando Magic, along with the most intense crowd at the Kia Center that has ever been heard backing them up.
The combination of these factors seemed to have revived the Magic’s offense for an explosive first half in Game 3 of Round 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.
Orlando blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-82 in front of a sold-out, explosive crowd at the Kia Center.
“I said it during the year,” said Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley. “I’ll say it again during the playoffs: our fan base is incredible. The energy in this building was absolutely spectacular. The way they came out and supported us from the beginning of the game, I think that’s what energized our group to get back on track.”
Returning home after losing two in a row to the Cavs in Cleveland with anemic offensive performances, the Magic turned the tables with an intense, energetic performance.
During the game, the Magic held the Cavs to 24% 3-point shooting, limited Donovan Mitchell to 1-for-6 from deep, and held Darius Garland to five points.
After repeatedly stating in pregame press conferences that they were “looking for the help of the home crowd,” the Magic built a lead as large as 21 points in the first half, and a blowout lead of 43 points in the fourth quarter. This type of performance was unimaginable while watching the Magic play in Games 1 and 2.
Paolo Banchero was once again the center of the Magic’s offense, scoring 19 points in the first half and finishing with a double-double of 31 points and 14 rebounds, and impressively: ZERO turnovers, and Franz Wagner scored 16 points in the game, shooting 50% from the field.
Jalen Suggs scored 24 points, going nine of eleven from the field.
Orlando, previously strangled off of offensive rebounds, out-rebounded the Cavs 51-23. The Magic committed only nine turnovers in the game versus Cleveland’s 14, leading to 19 Orlando points.
Orlando has a day to rest and practice before we do it all over again on Saturday night at 7 PM at the Kia Center.
