On April 26, Beijing time, the first round of the 2023-24 NBA playoffs G3 officially kicked off, and the first appearance was a matchup in the East, with the Orlando Magic returning to their home court to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. The first two games of both sides were won by the Cavaliers, and the scores in both games were low. The Cavaliers won by 14 points in the first game 97-83 and 96-86 in the second game by 10 points, the difference is not too big, but the Magic is difficult to overcome. Back at home, the Magic are definitely asking for change, especially from the outside. The Magic averaged 36 3-point shots per game in the first two games, ranking fifth in the NBA. But 8 out of 37 and 9 out of 35 respectively, the hit rate was pitifully low. In this game, both teams are playing with the main force, and the big battle is about to start!
In the first quarter, the outside line of the Magic really opened, creating a large number of shooting opportunities, and the shooting rate was not low, and he scored 5 3-pointers! The inside line hit the basket again and again under the leadership of Banchero, and the Magic twins both scored double-doubles in the first quarter. Xiaowa scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists, and Banchero scored 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists on 4-of-13 shooting, and the two worked together to lead the team to establish an advantage. The Cavaliers also made a lot of shots from the outside, but they felt cold, and only 1 of 12 shots were made! At the end of the first quarter, the Magic led by 10 points at 31-21;
In the second quarter, both teams tightened restrictions on the outside line, and both sides saw a significant drop in their 3-point shots. The Magic shot 3-of-6 and the Cavaliers made 2-of-6. Both teams invariably launched an attack from the opposing team's restricted area, but the Magic were significantly more efficient! Only 2 shots were missed from the basket in the quarter, and the remaining 9 were hit, while the Cavaliers made a total of 5 shots and 8 irons. In this quarter, the Magic opened up a six-point gap, and the total score came to 61-45;
Yibian fought again, the knights completely collapsed in this section, the magic continued to bloom in an all-round way to open up the point difference, and the game gradually lost suspense! The performance of the knights in this section is one word - iron, quite iron! The outside line is all iron, the magic has strengthened the protection of the restricted area, and the knights also frequently hit iron on the inside, and only scored 16 points in a single quarter! The magic played more and more smoothly, and the outside line scored 4 3-pointers, and only 2 shots were conceded under the basket, and the shooting rate was quite high! The gap opened up by 19 points in the single quarter, and the total score came to 96-61, and the Magic entered the final quarter with a 35-point advantage;
In the final quarter, the Magic directly withdrew all the main forces, and the Cavaliers left only Garland as a starter with a rotating lineup. Fultz hit a pull-up shot, Anthony continued to fire!Merrill responded with a 3-pointer, and Anthony scored on a breakaway throw. Since then, the two sides have gone back and forth, and the difference in points has once widened to 43 points, and it is impossible for the Cavaliers to fill this huge "hole". The final score was fixed at 121-83, and the Magic returned to the home court to pull back one game, and the score was 1-2.
Statistics:
The young Magic are obviously more comfortable with the rhythm of the playoffs, and the star Banchero has also played well. He blasted 31 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in the 3rd quarter, becoming the youngest player to score 30+ in the history of the Magic playoffs!Suggs 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, Wagner Jr. 16 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, Carter 2 points and 5 boards, Harris 2 points and 2 boards, Fultz 11 points and 2 boards, Anthony 10 points, 1 board and 3 assists;
On the Cavaliers' side, Mitchell had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, Allen had 15 points and 8 boards, Mobley had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Garland had 5 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, and LeVert had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.