Monday’s game between the Magic and Cavaliers marked the seventh career performance of 35-plus points and 10-plus rebounds for Paolo Banchero.
It’s a total that ranks fourth-most in Orlando history, trailing only Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard.
Banchero’s 37-point, 10-rebound showing at Cleveland, however, was all for naught when Jamahl Mosley‘s squad fell 114-98 inside Rocket Arena on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.
Not only did Banchero score 30-plus points for the fourth time this season, but he was the only member of the Magic to score more than five points in the second half (when he himself notched 23).
Unfortunately for Banchero, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell met the moment and more when the Cavs star totaled 45 points, knocking down five 3-pointers in just 35 minutes.
“They got going on offense,” Banchero said when asked what got away from Orlando after it led by 10 points after the first quarter. “Donovan Mitchell had a big night and they just scored more than we did.
“We played good defense in the first quarter, then we gave up 39 points in the second quarter so they just got going,” he added.
It was during that second frame when Mitchell shot 6 for 6 from the floor, including two 3s, for 16 points. In that 12 minute stretch, Cleveland outscored Orlando 39-24 to take a five-point lead heading into the half.
Mitchell scored 12 more points in the third quarter, Cavs guard Jaylon Tyson added nine and Cleveland’s lead grew to 10 points entering the final frame. The Magic remained within striking distance until Cleveland closed out the final 3:53 of the game on a 10-2 run with Banchero’s driving dunk at the one minute mark serving as Orlando’s last points of the night.
For the game, Banchero shot 61.9% (13 for 21) from the floor while the rest of the Magic shot 34.2% (25 for 73) from the floor.
In what’s become a trend, the Magic continued to miss open shots against Cleveland.
Orlando as a whole shot 6 for 18 (33.3%) on 3-point attempts where the closest defender was six-plus feet away, meaning they were “wide-open,” according to league-tracking data. It shot an even worse 5 for 20 (25%) on 3-pointers where the nearest defender was 4-6 feet away, or long-range shots that were considered “open,” according to NBA.com.
In comparison, the Cavaliers shot 8 for 17 (47.1%) on “wide-open” 3-pointers and 3-for-7 (42.9%) on “open” threes, according to the tracking data from the same game.
“Just continue to stick with what we’ve been doing,” Mosley said when asked what he tells his team when shots aren’t falling so they don’t lose their confidence. “The process. Because we’re getting open looks. That’s what we have to know.
“If we weren’t getting the looks that we needed, then there’s something else that we can look at,” he added. “But we’ve got to continue to stay with what we’ve been doing — generating those great looks for our guys and just continue to step in with that level of confidence, get your legs underneath you, to be able to knock them down.”
All of it resulted in not only Orlando’s fourth consecutive loss but also the team’s fourth straight double-digit defeat.
The past four contests, the Magic have allowed an average of 120.8 points per night while only scoring 102.3 points per game — an 18.5-point average margin of defeat.
Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management) missed the past three.
But regardless of who has been available, Orlando has neither defended at a high enough level nor has been efficient enough on the other end to come out on top.
“I think we just need to play better,” Banchero said. “Shots may or may not fall, but we’ve got to win. So, anything we’ve got to do to win the game.”
Orlando heads to warmer weather next when the team travels to Miami, a team that’s won two in a row.
Although the Magic already clinched five-game regular season series against its in-state rival (they won the first three meetings in Orlando), the No. 7 Heat (25-22) actually sat one spot ahead of No. 8 Orlando (23-22) by a full game in the Eastern Conference standings entering Tuesday’s slate of games.
Banchero doesn’t care how the Magic accomplish their goal of finding a way to win, as long as they do Wednesday night.
“Just go out there and win, that’s it,” he said.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic at Heat
When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Kaseya Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida