Paolo Banchero played a great game in Orlando Magic’s convincing win over the Cleveland Cavaliers by 121:83.
We witnessed an incredible duel in Florida. The game, which was characterized as another routine win for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was far from it. After two convincing wins in the NBA playoffs by the Cavaliers, we saw a highly dominant performance from the home team.
Orlando Magic started the game much better. Unlike the first two matches, this time they had much better ball movement in offense, which immediately showed in the scoreline. They scored 31 points in the first quarter and gained a double-digit lead. The excellent play continued into the second quarter, with their lead growing to a maximum of 16 points by halftime.
A reaction from the visiting team was expected in the second half, but a disaster followed instead. It was the best quarter for Orlando Magic, allowing only 16 points to their opponents in this period, making it clear that a debacle was looming for the guests. Magic also dominated the final quarter (22:25), resulting in an enormous 38-point difference on the scoreboard at the end.
The top scorer for the winning team was Paolo Banchero with 31 points and 14 rebounds. Jalen Suggs scored 24 points, and Franz Wagner played an excellent role with 16. On the other side, few players earned positive ratings. Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert scored 15 points each, while Donovan Mitchell added only 13 with a poor 6-of-16 shooting.
The fourth match will be played on Saturday at 7 p.m.