1-18-18 vs. Magic

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Wrap-Up -- Through the first two contests of their three-game homestand the Cavaliers have proven that they can jump all over opponents to start the game. Finishing them off after intermission has been the tricky part.

As they did in Monday’s matchup with the Warriors, the Cavaliers came out ready to play – running out to a 23-point edge in the second quarter. Orlando rallied back in the second stanza – tying the game in the third and actually taking a one-point lead late in the fourth before Isaiah Thomas canned a pair of free throws -- snapping Cleveland’s four-game slide with Thursday’s 104-103 win at The Q.

The Cavaliers cruised through the first half – handing out 19 assists on 25 makes, shooting 56 percent from the floor and taking a 20-point edge into the locker room. But they came out flat in the second half, with Orlando outscoring the Cavs, 33-17, in the third.

The Magic – who nearly erased a 24-point second-half lead against Cleveland less than two weeks earlier in Orlando – continued to close the gap in the fourth quarter, and when Shelvin Mack canned a short jumper with 31.5 to play, the Magic took their first lead of the ballgame.

But Mack would proceed to foul a driving Isaiah Thomas on Cleveland’s next possession – putting the two-time All-Star at the stripe. Thomas drilled both, giving the Cavaliers a one-point edge with 11.2 to play.

Orlando still had a chance to steal its second straight victory at The Q, but Elfrid Payton’s layup attempt rimmed out with .2 to play, giving the Wine &amp; Gold their 19th win in the last 20 meetings with the Magic.

In just his fifth start of the season, Thomas led the Cavaliers with 21 points – going 6-for-15 from the floor, including 3-of-10 from long-distance, adding four assists, three boards and a pair of steals.

LeBron James followed up with 16 points despite not having his A-game on Thursday – going 7-for-16 from the floor but missing all four three-point attempts and finishing just 2-of-8 from the stripe. James – who earned his 14th straight All-Star Game start as the East’s leading vote-getter – did lead Cleveland with six assists to go with five boards.

Kevin Love posted his 24th double-double of the year – chipping in with 12 points and a game-high-tying 11 boards.

Dwyane Wade came off the bench to tally 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting while Jeff Green added 10 points, eight boards and a pair of steals.

But the most welcome sight among the second unit was the appearance of Derrick Rose, who checked in to start the second quarter – making his first appearance since November 7. And the former MVP looked sharp in limited action – notching nine points and three boards in just over 13 minutes of work.

Balanced scoring attack fuels Cavs win against the Magic at The Q.

Elfrid Payton led six Magic players in double-figures – finishing with 19 points and a game-high eight assists. Aaron Gordon doubled-up for Orlando, adding 17 points and a team-best 11 boards in the loss.

Turning Point -- It’s difficult to say which turning point actually shaped Thursday’s outcome. Was it the Wine &amp; Gold running out to a big lead? Losing it in the third quarter? Fighting off Orlando’s charge in the fourth?

The only answer is that the turning point came when Isaiah Thomas canned his two free throws late – erasing Orlando’s only lead and giving the Cavaliers a desperately needed win, by any means necessary.

By the Numbers – 25 … points that LeBron James needs to become the sixth player (and youngest) in NBA history to reach the 30,000-point plateau, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki.

Quotable – LeBron James, on the Cavaliers’ recent struggles …

”Us just being in a little funk. Us just being out of sorts as far as trying to put two complete halves together. We’re trying to find that. Obviously, we know we’ve been struggling as of late, so we’re just trying to figure out how we can put two halves together.”

Up Next -- After squeaking by the Magic on Thursday, the Wine &amp; Gold close out their three-game homestand with a big Saturday afternoon matchup against Russell Westbrook, Paul George and the Thunder at The Q. From there, the Cavaliers hit the road for a tough one – traveling to San Antonio to face off against the Spurs on Tuesday before returning to Cleveland for a pair, welcoming the Pacers to The Q next Friday night followed by a visit from the Pistons two days later on Sunday the 28th.

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1‑18‑18 vs. Magic