The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t stop what has been a bad Orlando Magic offense on Wednesday, which led to their 128-122 defeat.
The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.
Offensive Rating
Effective Field Goal Percentage
Offensive Rebounding Percentage
Offensive Turnover Percentage
Free Throw Rate
Cavs
128.4, 86th percentile
59%, 75th percentile
28%, 47th percentile
10.5%, 84th percentile
19.1, 42nd percentile
Magic
133.7, 92nd percentile
58.8%, 74th percentile
25%, 31st percentile
6.3%, 98th percentile
32.9, 92nd percentile
Now, let’s dive into the numbers.
Advertisement
The Magic converted 21 of their 25 shots at the rim (84%, 92nd percentile). The Cavs had no answer for Orlando’s size. They desperately missed Jarrett Allen in this one.
Orlando outscored Cleveland by 11 points at the free-throw line. The Magic were able to get to the free-throw line often, going 28-37 (75.7%). Meanwhile, the Cavs couldn’t get to the line and had trouble converting when they did, going 17-26 (65.4%).
Evan Mobley went 2-7 from the charity stripe. He’s struggled with his free-throw shooting all season, as he came into this game converting 63.4% at the line. This is a sizeable dip from shooting 72.5% last season.
The Magic turned it over just six times. You’re going to have a good offense if you get to the basket, the line, and keep possession of the ball.
Orlando had their seventh-best offensive rating for a game this season (133.7). They did this without the benefit of shooting well from beyond the arc. They converted just 34.3% of their three-pointers.
Desmond Bane scored 11 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter. His off-balance three with 18 seconds left ended Cleveland’s chance of a comeback.
Donovan Mitchell struggled to find his shot in the fourth quarter, going 2-8 from the field in that frame. This wasn’t Mitchell’s most efficient game. He still scored 25 points, but he wasn’t able to establish the offensive rhythm we’re used to seeing.
James Harden — who scored a team-high 30 points — took just two shots from the field in the fourth quarter. Harden has ceded the scoring burden to Mitchell, particularly in the clutch. However, on a night like this where he had it going, the Cavs needed him to call his own number more down the stretch.
Keon Ellis went 5-8 from three. He did exactly what you wanted him to do offensively, as he finished with 20 points.
Dennis Schroder provided 0 points. He’s struggled in his last three outings. He’s combined for just six points on 2-11 shooting in his previous three games combined.
Jaylon Tyson struggled once again, providing just four points.
Dean Wade was scoreless and registered a team-worst plus/minus of -10. He isn’t in there to score, but you’d like to see him take more than two shots. Wade also struggled to contain Paolo Banchero, who finished with 25 points.
Cleveland converted 83.3% of their shots at the rim (91st percentile). This was a good outing for the offense despite the loss. They were able to spread Orlando’s formidable defense out and create lanes to attack the paint.