Orlando Magic (36-28) beat Cleveland Cavaliers (40-26) 128-122 at home on Wednesday, March 11 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 250 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Magic had the better start, winning the first 38-35 to lead by 3 after one. The Cavaliers pulled even with a 27-24 second quarter, sending the game to halftime tied at 62.
The Magic won the third 34-27 to turn the game around, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 33-32; the Magic held on for a 128-122 regulation win.
What decided it
The Magic made 32.9 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 19.1 for the Cavaliers. The Magic took better care of the ball, turning it over on 6% of possessions compared with 9.2% for the Cavaliers. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Cavaliers did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 26.1% against 21.1%. The Magic made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Magic produced 130.1 points per 100 possessions to 124 for the Cavaliers.
Who made the difference
Desmond Bane was the game's biggest individual force for ORL: 35 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast on 12-19 shooting. His Game Score of 31.5 led everyone. His team was +3 with him on the floor.
James Harden led the Cavaliers with 30 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast on 11-16 shooting, good for a 25.1 Game Score.
Wendell Carter Jr. (11 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast) and Evan Mobley (18 pts, 13 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 52% for the Magic.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 4-1.
The Magic are now 36-28, and the Cavaliers are 40-26. The Magic last five before this game: L-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.