The Magic are back at home
Under the leadership of Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers defeated the Magic in two consecutive games to take a 2-0 lead in the series. It can be said that with Mitchell and without Mitchell, the Cavaliers are two completely different teams. Because the playoffs are a stage for competing stars, and the quality of the stars determines a team's ceiling. Compared to Mitchell, the Magic's Banchero and Wagner Jr. are a little immature, which is why the Magic team is currently on the edge of the cliff.
However, there is a saying in the playoffs that winning away from home is the real start of the playoffs. In Game 3 of the series, the Magic returned to their home court, which is a game they must win, and if they continue to lose, then the Cavaliers will get the match point, which also means that the Magic's playoff journey is coming to an end.
The suspense is lost in three verses
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, Banchero made 13 crazy shots, got 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, Suggs also had 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Wagner Jr. 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, the team scored 31 points in a single quarter, while the Cavaliers only scored 21 points, including Mitchell 2 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, and Allen and Mobley each scored 6 points. After returning from the game in the second quarter, Banchero scored 9 points on 4-of-5 shooting, Suggs scored 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, and the Magic scored another 30 points in a single quarter, completely widening the difference.
Mitchell had seven points, one rebound and two assists, and LeVert also had six points and one assist, but the team only scored 24 points, and at halftime, the Magic led the Cavaliers by 16 points, 61-45. In the second half, Banchero scored 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and Suggs made 5 of 6 shots with 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals, and the team scored 35 points in a single quarter. The Cavaliers collapsed, Mitchell only had 4 points and 1 rebound on 2-of-5 shooting, and the performance of other players was also unsatisfactory, the team only scored 16 points in a single quarter, a net loss of 19 points in a single quarter, and the difference between the two teams came to 35 points.
With such a huge point difference, the game can be said to have completely lost its suspense. Banchero didn't play again, and neither did Mitchell. The Magic's other champion, Lang Fultz, had six points and one assist on 2-of-4 shooting, and the Magic were still extending their lead. With the final whistle, the Orlando Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by 38 points 121-83.
Champion Lang cashes in on his talent
After the Magic won this game, the series score was rewritten to 1-2, and the champion Banchero cashed in his talent, shooting 13 of 26 from the field, 4 of 9 from three-point range, and got 31 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, without a single turnover. Perhaps, the seven mistakes in the first game are the only way for Banchero to grow. Suggs was efficient on 9-of-11 shooting, with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Wagner Jr. was 6-of-12 from the field and also had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, Fultz on the bench had 11 points and 2 rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting, and Anthony had 10 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists.
If the Magic can defend their home court again, then the series will become a best-of-three and the two teams will return to the starting line. Mitchell was in poor form, with just 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists on 6-of-16 shooting, but he was still the Cavaliers' best player. Allen had 15 points and 8 rebounds, Mobley Jr. had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, LeVert on the bench had 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and only 4 players on the team scored double-doubles, and Garland, another core player, had 5 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists on 2-of-10 shooting, which was unsatisfactory.