Cavaliers look for commanding 2-0 series lead on Magic

The Cavaliers last had a 2-0 playoff series lead in the NBA playoffs back in 2018, when they swept the Raptors in an Eastern Conference semifinal series.

A 2-0 series lead — many believe — is a commanding one, and the Cavaliers might be in total command if Orlando continues to shoot as poorly as it did in Cleveland’s 97-83 victory in Game 1.

Game 2 of the Cavaliers-Magic first-round series is 7 p.m. April 22 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. All eyes will be on an Orlando offense that struggled for most of the season.

Game 1 followed that trend. The Magic shot just 33 percent from the floor, including 8 of 37 from 3-point range. At one point, the Magic missed 18 straight shots from beyond the arc.

The law of averages says Orlando can’t shoot that poorly in consecutive games — especially considering this will be a Magic team that desperately does not want to fall into a 2-0 hole — but perhaps it can.

Coach Jamahl Mosley’s team ranked last in the NBA during the regular season in 3-point shooting so perhaps another avenue to scoring, such as driving to the basket or getting to the free-throw line, would be wise. That being said, the Magic also struggled at the charity stripe in Game 1. 

“When you go 19 of 30 on free throws and 8 for 37 on 3-pointers, it’s hard to make up ground,” said Mosley in the Game 1 postgame. “We hang our hat on defense, and holding a team to 97 points is a good job. The question is how do we clean up some of the things on offense for the next game?”

On the Cavaliers side, much was expected at the outset of the playoffs after last season’s first-round exit against the Knicks.

Two big questions were if Cleveland could show enough toughness to combat the defensive-minded Magic, and if Donovan Mitchell could rise to the occasion.

After one game — a small sample size, to be sure — the Cavaliers took steps to answer those questions.

The defense held Orlando to 83 points, and won the rebounding battle, 65-53, thanks in large part to Jarrett Allen’s 18 boards. Cleveland owned the defensive paint with 44 rebounds.

Offensively, Mitchell showed up in a big way with 30 points on 11 of 21 shooting in 36 minutes.

“This is who I am,” Mitchell told reporters after Game 1. “That’s kind of been my message all year. This is why I’m here.”

For Orlando, the urgency to make amends for Game 1 will need to be there to prevent going back to Florida in an 0-2 hole.

Paolo Banchero — who had a game-high nine turnovers — was the Magic’s top Game 1 scorer with 24 points, but the rest of his teammates didn’t follow his lead. Without Banchero’s 9 of 17 shooting, Orlando was a miserable 19 of 69 (27.5 percent) from the floor.

“It’s the first game of the playoffs, so we kind of expected to have these miscues and mistakes,” said Banchero. “We’re locked in. You can’t overreact from one game.”

Magic at Cavaliers

What: Game 2 of their first-round series; Cleveland leads, 1-0

When: 7 p.m., April 22

Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse

TV: Bally Sports Ohio, NBA TV