By Dick Scanlon
The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando’s Paolo Banchero scored 20 points, Franz Wagner added 19 and the Cavaliers couldn’t recover from a dismal third quarter Monday night in a 104-94 loss to the Magic.
Darius Garland scored 36 points for the Cavaliers, who made only two of 17 shots in the third and scored 15 points. Donovan Mitchell added 22 points for the Cavaliers, who had won four straight on the road.
Goga Bitadze had 15 points for the Magic, who have won 11 of 13 with one of the losses coming at Cleveland last Wednesday, when they shot 2-for-23 from 3-point range. They shot 7-for-26 Monday night.
Cleveland led 54-51 after a first half in which Garland scored 19 points and Orlando made 4 of 17 3s.
With 7-footer Evan Mobley missing a second straight game due to a sore left knee, Jarrett Allen was called for his fourth foul just 20 seconds into the second half, leaving the Cavaliers thin in the front court.
Banchero, Wagner and Bitadze took full advantage, scoring all the points during a 12-0 run late in the period that left the Magic with a 76-65 lead.
By the time Allen fouled out early in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were down 89-71.
Garland and Mitchell got the Cavs back into the game in the fourth quarter, but the closest they could get was 99-94 on steal and a layup by Mitchell with 1:36 left.
Joe Ingles, who led the Magic’s first-half scoring with 12 points, left the game in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle but returned to start the fourth.
Up next
Cavaliers: Visit Boston on Tuesday night.
Magic: Visit Boston on Friday night.
