Donovan Mitchell scored 15 of his 35 points in the first quarter to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 121-111 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Mitchell sank five 3-pointers and added seven rebounds and six assists to help the Cavaliers overcome Paolo Banchero’s career-high 42-point performance.
Darius Garland collected 26 points and nine assists, and Max Strus had 17 points to fuel Cleveland’s eighth win in the last 11 games. Evan Mobley scored 16 points, Georges Niang had 10 and Dean Wade contributed eight in his return from a six-game absence due to an ankle injury.
The Cavaliers shot a robust 53.5 percent from the floor (46 of 86) and 41.2 percent from 3-point range (14 of 34) while holding a 45-36 rebound advantage. Orlando, in turn, misfired on its first 12 attempts from beyond the arc and finished 2-of-23 from 3-point range.
Banchero made 16 of 26 shots from the floor and 9 of 12 from the foul line. Cole Anthony scored 19 points, and Franz Wagner finished with 14 despite going 3-of-16 from the floor for Magic, who have lost two in a row on the heels of a franchise high-tying nine-game winning streak.
Orlando’s Jalen Suggs tweaked his right ankle midway into the first quarter and again during the second quarter while attempting to contest a shot at the rim. He needed assistance to leave the court and did not return.
Strus drained three 3-pointers to stake Cleveland to a 16-10 lead early in the first quarter. Garland added a basket before Mitchell converted twice from beyond the arc and added two layups to extend the Cavaliers’ advantage to 28-13.
Strus sank his fourth 3-pointer to push Cleveland’s lead to 50-27 before Orlando slowly chipped away. The Magic trimmed its deficit to 13 at halftime and to five with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter before the Cavaliers pulled away.
Niang made a circus shot to stake Cleveland to a 104-86 lead early in the fourth quarter. Orlando shaved the deficit down to eight at 113-105 after Anthony’s 3-pointer with 3:53 to play. However, Mobley answered with two dunks and a finger-roll layup to help keep the Magic at bay.
–Field Level Media