Of the eight first-round NBA playoff series, the matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic may have drawn the least interest through three games. However, it might be time to starting paying attention.
The Cavaliers scored only 29 points in the second half amid a terrible shooting performance in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon. With the 112–89 loss, the Magic have tied the series at 2-2.
Cleveland was particularly bad from three-point range, shooting only 24 percent (4-for-17) from behind the arc.
The Cavs added Max Strus (career 37 percent three-point shooter) and Georges Niang (40 percent) with the intention of improving their outside shooting. But neither player made a positive impact that way on Saturday. Strus shot 1-for-3, scoring just seven points, while Nina went 0-for-1 and scored two points.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 21 points and Donovan Mitchell added 18 on 5-for-14 shooting from the field. Caris LeVert, who averaged 14 points per game during the regular season, scored only five (and shot 0-for-3 from three).
Franz Wagner was unstoppable
On the other side, Franz Wagner had his best game of the series for Orlando. The third-year forward scored 34 points with 13 rebounds, shooting 13-for-17 from the field (and going 2-for-3 on three-pointers). Wagner hadn’t scored more than 18 points in the series’ previous three games.
Jonathan Isaac added 14 points for Orlando and provided the three-point shooting Cleveland would have loved, knocking down four of his six long-range attempts.
As a team, the Magic shot 46 percent (12-for-26) on their three-pointers and 56 percent overall (43-for-77) from the field.
Game 5 of the Magic-Cavs goes back to Cleveland on Tuesday. Tip-off and the TV broadcaster have not yet been announced.
