Magic Crush Cavaliers 112-89 in Game 4 to Even Their 1st Round Series

Franz Wagner dropped playoff career-highs to help the @OrlandoMagic tie the series 2-2!

🪄 34 PTS (Playoff career-high)
🪄 13 REB (Playoff career-high)
🪄 2 3PM
🪄 13-17 FGM#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/jbF2UGwaPn

— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2024

The Cavaliers were silencing Kia Center and dominating their young opponent. They had the game in total control but now they’ve lost all their momentum as the series returns to Cleveland.

 

A Tale of Two Halves

After losing Game 3 on Thursday, NBA rumors questioned Cleveland’s defensive effort. Cavaliers players and coaches said their performance in that 121-83 setback did not represent who the team truly is. On Saturday, they backed up that claim early, led by Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland had a 60-51 lead at halftime, but everything fell apart in the second half.

The Magic went on a 23-7 run to start the third quarter and take the lead for the first time since midway through the second quarter! The Cavaliers trailed by one point with 7:08 left in the third quarter.

Their head coach J.B. Bickerstaff called a timeout, hoping to give them a chance to regroup. But then Darius Garland and Jalen Suggs had a heated on-court altercation, which had the crowd go crazy and fueled the Magic.

Orlando then outscored Cleveland 20-3 over the next seven minutes to their lead to 18 before heading into the fourth quarter. Things went from bad to worse for the Cavaliers. The Magic increased the lead to a game-high 30 points after that.

Franz Wagner has a playoff career-high 34 PTS and is FIRED UP during Game 4 on TNT 🔊 pic.twitter.com/6ylt8scOtH

— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2024

Cleveland’s level of big-stage immaturity was concerning. After all, experience is supposedly a significant edge they have over Orlando.

The Cavaliers were outscored 37-10 in the third quarter, shooting a dismal 4-of-18 from the field and 2-of-9 from 3-point range while turning the ball over seven times. The Magic won the second half 61-29.

In the 2 losses against the Orlando Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost by a total of 63 points.

They also haven’t been able to score over 100 in any of the games so far.

They say defense wins championships.

— WeltGawd (@WeltGawd) April 27, 2024

 

What’s Next?

The Magic will play their next NBA games with more confidence, believing they can win this series! Franz Wagner’s stats were incredible. Wagner had a game-high 34 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists on 13-of-17 shooting. Jonathan Isaac added 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench to lead the second unit. The Orlando reserves outscored the Cleveland bench 43-15.

“We’re not satisfied at all,” Wagner said after the game. “We just got two wins. We need two more against them so we’ve got to stay locked in and try to get the next one in Cleveland.”

No look pass from Paolo Banchero to Franz Wagner.

The future of the NBA right before your eyes. pic.twitter.com/frqn4AZQVF

— WeltGawd (@WeltGawd) April 27, 2024

Jarrett Allen led the way for the Cavaliers with 21 points and nine rebounds. Mitchell finished with 18 points, six assists, and three steals. He was just 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from 3-point range.

“They held home court just like we did,” Bickerstaff noted. “Now we get an opportunity to go home and play a best-of-three series with two games in Cleveland. We’ve got areas where we can change some things, fix some things, but I know our guys will be ready to go on Tuesday night.”

icymi 😏 https://t.co/4607looESD pic.twitter.com/cEpGqu6bCK

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 27, 2024

The Cavaliers haven’t scored over 100 points in any of the first four games. The series now heads back to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Game 5 is on Tuesday night at a time to be determined.