Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Evan Mobley collected 19 points and 13 rebounds to fuel the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 107-96 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Mitchell highlighted his performance by scoring 16 points in the first quarter and 13 in the third. He made 12 of 21 shots from the floor — and 7 of 11 from 3-point range — for the Cavaliers, who improved to 10-1 at home this season and dropped the Magic to 1-10 on the road.
Darius Garland chipped in 18 points and six assists to send Cleveland to its seventh win in its last nine games.
The Cavaliers also benefited from the returns of Kevin Love and Lamar Stevens.
Love recorded 11 points and as many rebounds off the bench in his return from a hairline fracture of his right thumb sustained during Cleveland’s 132-122 double-overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 18.
Stevens scored eight points in his return from a four-game absence due to a non-COVID-related illness.
Rookie Paolo Banchero scored 22 points and Cole Anthony added 19 off the bench for the Magic, who have lost seven in a row overall. Moritz Wagner collected 16 points and nine rebounds and Franz Wagner added 16 points.
Mitchell highlighted his third-quarter performance by sinking a pair of 3-pointers during a 92-second span to boost Cleveland’s lead to 76-62. Love and Mitchell each had a layup and Cedi Osman added a basket to push the Cavaliers’ advantage to 20 points with 1:26 remaining in the quarter.
Caleb Houstan, Anthony and Franz Wagner each made a 3-pointer and Moritz Wagner added a bucket to help Orlando trim Cleveland’s lead to 97-89 with 3:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. Mobley and Garland responded by converting from beyond the arc on the next two possessions for the Cavaliers to essentially seal the win.
Mitchell made 6 of 8 shots from the floor — including 3 of 5 from 3-point range — to stake Cleveland to a 27-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. Banchero sank 4 of 7 shots from the floor to keep Orlando within striking distance.
–Field Level Media
