The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to add fire to their red-hot winning streak, now extending their momentum-sparking stretch to four games after a slim 136-131 victory against the struggling Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Donovan Mitchell once again led the Cavs’ scoring, notching 42 points on top of 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Mitchell also had a clutch layup in the dying seconds of the game to seal the victory.
“We’re in a good spot, but for us, we wanna continue to be elite, we gotta continue to build these habits… We won tonight, but we gotta continue to be better,” Mitchell said postgame.
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden Spearhead Cleveland’s Offense
Aside from Mitchell, four other Cavs notched double-digit point totals, including the recently acquired James Harden, who scored 26 points and dished out 7 assists.
Collectively, Cleveland was red-hot from all aspects, shooting clips of 60% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the line. Defense was not an issue as well, as they outperformed Orlando in stocks, 11-8.
With less than a month left in the regular season, the Cavs now boast a 45-27 record to gain a firm hold of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, while also sitting just 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks for the third seed.
Magic Continue Late-Season Struggle After Hot Stretch
Despite going on a seven-game winning streak in the past weeks, the Magic have now dropped their sixth game in a row to slip to a 38-34 slate. This puts them in a three-team tie for the eighth seed with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.
Paolo Banchero continues to shine in the team’s losing stretch, dropping 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, but also notching 5 turnovers. The rest of Orlando’s starting five also recorded double-figure scoring, but were outscored in the paint, 38-62.
The Wine and Gold will try to continue their hot stretch with a bout against the Miami Heat tomorrow, while the Magic will try to crawl out of their abysmal losing streak against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
