Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic, a team with many young players, are quickly maturing in the NBA playoffs.
The 21-year-old forward, an All-Star, scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter on Friday night. This helped the Magic, one of the league’s youngest teams, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their playoff series.
Just three nights earlier, Banchero scored a career-best 39 points in a close road loss. This time, he played a key role in securing the team’s biggest win in years.
Franz Wagner added 26 points, and Jalen Suggs made six 3-pointers, finishing with 22 points for the Magic. They pulled ahead in the final minutes, with Banchero’s 3-pointer giving them a lead they held until the end.
“We’ve learned a lot from this series, figuring out what works and what doesn’t,” Banchero said. “We know what we need to do to win.”
Despite a stellar fourth-quarter performance from Donovan Mitchell, who scored all 18 points for the Cavs, and Darius Garland’s 21 points, Cleveland struggled with poor 3-point shooting, making only 7 of 28 attempts.
Sunday’s Game 7 will be held in Cleveland, where the Cavs have performed better, winning Games 1, 2, and 5. They have struggled on the road, losing seven consecutive playoff games away from home, the streak dating back to 2018.
“I’m excited. It’s a crucial game, so we need to give our best effort,” said Banchero, looking ahead to Sunday.
The Cavs haven’t won a playoff series since then. Meanwhile, the Magic, who last made the playoffs in 2020, are aiming for their first series win in 14 years. “Our players will be prepared,” stated Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “They’ve been strong at home, and we expect that to continue.”
Under coach Jamahl Mosley, Orlando has made significant progress, going from 22 wins in the 2021-22 season to 34 wins last year, and achieving 47 wins with a Southeast Division title this season.
“Playing Game 7 on the road, the team’s ability to come together and improve each game is what we’re focusing on,” Mosley added. “We know it won’t be easy, but we welcome the challenge.”
Orlando won Games 3 and 4 by a combined 61 points. For Friday’s game, they made some lineup changes, starting forward Jonathan Isaac and moving Wagner from forward to guard to have four 6-foot-10 players on the court simultaneously.
Center Jarrett Allen was sidelined for the second game in a row due to a bruised rib. This led the Cavs to move forward Evan Mobley to the center position and start Marcus Morris Sr., who scored 12 points off the bench in the previous game, adding physicality to Cleveland’s game.
At halftime, the Cavs were behind 53-49, and they were lucky the deficit wasn’t larger, considering their poor shooting from the 3-point line, missing 13 of 14 attempts.
Despite an aggressive offense led by Mitchell and Garland driving to the basket, Cleveland managed to stay close by converting 22 of 32 shots inside the arc, shooting 50% overall (23 of 46) before halftime.
In the third quarter, the Cavs improved their 3-point shooting, with Mitchell and Max Strus hitting shots from long range during a 17-4 run to start the period. Although they built a nine-point lead, the Magic closed the gap to 78-73 by the end of the quarter.
Mitchell had an impressive performance, shooting 22 of 36 from the field, including three of nine from beyond the arc. He scored all 18 of Cleveland’s points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
“We stayed focused and played together, but unfortunately, we didn’t win,” Mitchell said. “We need to regroup at home and get the job done. Scoring 50 points doesn’t matter if we don’t win the game.”
