Magic even series as Cavs struggle offensively

ORLANDO, Fla. — Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has noticed a trend through the first four games of the first-round series against the Orlando Magic.

In the first half, he’s on. But in the second half, he’s off. In Game 4, he failed to register a single point in the final two quarters. His team scored just 10 in the third and 19 in the fourth, sealing their 112-89 loss.

“You can’t have a drought like that,” Mitchell said. “It starts with me. I didn’t score in the second half. I’ve been starting second halves like that all series. Ten points is outrageous. We have to be better. I have to be better. I’m disappointed in myself and I’ll be better.”

Just three games ago following the Cavs’ Game 1 victory, in which Mitchell scored 30 points, he proclaimed, “This is who I am.” But ever since, he’s struggled. And as he noted, especially in second halves.

In the first half of Game 4, Mitchell put up 18 points and scored or assisted on 28 of the Cavs’ 60 points. His scoreless second half was the first of its kind for Mitchell in any of his career playoff games. He assisted on just three points.

When Jalen Suggs was the primary defender in Game 4, Mitchell went 1-of-6 with three turnovers.

But there wasn’t a specific reason Mitchell pinpointed that has led to his declines through games. When asked if there’s something that’s leading to Mitchell not being himself, he simply said, “No.”

To fix it, Mitchell said he had to, “Watch film and be better.

“As much as the success I get, I deserve the criticism too,” Mitchell said. “I hold myself to that.”

The Cavaliers’ offensive woes stretch beyond Mitchell. They shot 47.2% from the floor on Saturday and went just 4-of-17 from three. Cleveland’s bench was outscored 43-15. Just seven of those Cavs’ bench points were scored in non-garbage time.

Dating back to last postseason, the Cavs have failed to register 100 points in seven consecutive playoff games. Their four games in this series are the second time a team hasn’t hit 100 in four straight playoff games in a single series since the Magic in 2019.

The third quarter was where everything changed. The Cavaliers entered halftime with a nine-point lead, but a 17-7 Magic run the first few minutes out of the break made that evaporate.

Midway through the period, Suggs and Darius Garland were assessed double technicals, and after the ensuing timeout, Wendell Carter Jr. hit back-to-back threes to put Orlando up seven. That’s when the Magic began to feel the momentum shift.

There have been a few times in this series that the Magic have thrived off of the level of chippiness and physicality that’s occurred between the two teams.

The Magic closed the last 5 1/2 minutes of the third on a 14-0 run.

“They came together as a team and we were trying to do it individually and we can’t do that, especially at this point in the season,” Garland said. “They’re not doing nothing special at all.”

The message the Cavaliers kept conveying after the loss was that their two losses in Orlando boiled down to the Magic doing their job in protecting home court. It’s what they did in Cleveland, as well.

So now, as the series shifts back to Ohio, the Cavs know it’s their best opportunity to regain control.

“It’s 2-2. You give credit where credit is due. They handled their business at home. That’s it,” Mitchell said. “It’s upsetting we didn’t respond but we’ll find a way to do it at the crib like we did the first two games. Or else we will be home early. But they did for two games. We did it for two games. It’s best of three now.”