On April 26, the first round of the NBA playoffs continued. The Orlando Magic returned home for Game 3 of the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Magic led the game from the beginning of the first quarter, and finally they beat the Cavaliers by 38 points at 121-83, which was the first home win in the playoffs for the Magic team since 2011, and the winning Magic team chased the series to 1-2.
Magic: Banchero 31 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, Suggs 24 points and 4 rebounds, Wagner Jr. 16 points and 8 assists, Fultz 11 points, Anthony 10 points.
Cavaliers: Mitchell 13 points and 7 assists, Allen 15 points and 8 rebounds, Mobley Jr. 10 points, LeVert 15 points.
The Cavaliers started the game 10-3 in the first quarter, and the Magic side made two three-pointers from Wagner Jr. and Suggs to help the team catch up. In the final three minutes, the Magic launched a 13-0 attack wave to open up the difference in one fell swoop, and the first quarter ended with the Magic leading by 10 points at 31-21.
After a 9-0 run in the second quarter, the Magic led the Cavaliers by 15 points at 41-26. LeVert scored four straight points as the Cavaliers retraced the deficit to 10 points. Led by Banchero, the Magic went on a 10-0 run after the middle period, and the Magic led by 21 points at 55-34 at 4:11. At halftime, the Magic led by 16 points, 61-45.
In the third quarter, the Magic played a series of scoring climaxes, and Suggs and Banchero made a strong effort in the middle of the game, leading the team to a wave of 12-0, 88-56 The Magic led by more than 30 points. The Cavaliers scored just 16 points in the entire second quarter, and the Magic continued to extend their advantage in the second half, taking a 96-61 lead to 35 points in the third quarter.
In the final quarter, the two sides withdrew the main lineup early, and the game entered garbage time early. Back-to-back three-pointers from Howard and Hughstan gave the Magic a 112-69 lead at 4:28 to 43 points. After that, the two sides went back and forth on the court, and in the end, the Magic won the game 121-83.