*** After a pair of lopsided losses in Orlando, a feisty Cavaliers club returned home looking to regain momentum in the series – and that’s exactly what they did, grinding out a 104-103 white-knuckle win on Tuesday night in Cleveland. In the first tight game of the First Round set – one that featured 13 ties and 17 lead-changes – the Wine & Gold clamped down late to seal the win to take a 3-2 edge in the series. Playing without starting center Jarrett Allen – out with bruised ribs – the Cavaliers got a huge performance from Evan Mobley, who scored the go-ahead bucket with 1:43 to play and swatting Franz Wagner’s potential game-tying layup attempt with five seconds remaining.
*** With each of the first four games decided by double-figures, the margin of error on Tuesday night was razor-thin – neither team led by double-figures after intermission and were within five points of each other throughout the fourth quarter. Just the final period alone featured five ties and a dozen lead-changes.
MOBLEY'S GAME-SAVING BLOCK
*** With Jarrett Allen out, Isaac Okoro stepped into the starting lineup and Mobley slid over to the 5 – and he was outstanding on both ends all night, doubling-up with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with a game-high 13 rebounds, adding four assists, two steals and a pair of blocks, including the late-game rejection of Franz Wagner to preserve the win.
*** Mobley spoke postgame about his game-deciding defensive stop. “It was a big-time play. The game was on the line, and I just went for it. I knew he was going to go for the layup. I feel like that's the game. So went for it, got a clean block and we got the rebound. I'm just trying to make game-winning plays and winning plays as much as possible, especially down the stretch. And feel like I did a good job in this game.”
*** After taking two on the chin in Orlando, a quick start in Cleveland was essential – and Darius Garland provided it, erupting for 17 of his 23 points in the opening period, going 6-of-8 from the floor, drilling all three three-point attempts in the quarter. On the night, Garland – who struggled offensively in Games 3 and 4 – went 9-of-16 from the field, adding five boards and five assists in the win.
*** Garland, on his fast start in Tuesdays’ win. “I always want to come out and be aggressive, but I had a shoot-first mentality tonight. So that was my whole thing going into the game tonight, was just go be aggressive for myself first and then just look out for sprays to open. But (Orlando) just kept leaving me open, so a couple fell, and the rim just started looking big for me a little bit.”
*** Donovan Mitchell also bounced back from a pair of rough outings over the weekend in central Florida – leading Cleveland with 28 points on 9-of-23 shooting, going 9-of-10 from the stripe to go with six boards, two assists and a pair of steals. In the first three home games of the First Round, the five-time All-Star is averaging 27.0ppg on 44 percent shooting.
*** Max Strus had easily his best outing of the series on Tuesday night – finishing with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, adding six boards, five assists and a pair of steals. Despite dealing with foul trouble for much of the night, Strus was rock-solid defensively against Franz Wagner – (who finished with 34 points in Game 4 – holding the Magic forward to 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting, including 1-for-6 from three-point range.
*** Strus on the strong team effort in Game 5: “(We) stayed with it – stayed with it mentally, stayed with it physically, had a lot of guys step up. That was a fun team win with a great atmosphere and was a good, tough battle for us. I'm glad we came out on the top.”
Marcus Morris Sr. | Cavs vs Magic, Game 5 Highlight | 4.30.2024
*** Besides the necessary change to the starting lineup with Jarrett Allen sidelined, the Cavaliers also tweaked their bench rotation on Tuesday – going with Marcus Morris Sr. over Georges Niang. The move paid off brilliantly, with Morris – who’d played just a combined 15 minutes in the series – leading all reserves in Tuesday’s victory, chipping in with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-5 from long-range. Morris scored half of his dozen points in the final period – including a big corner three with five minutes to play that knotted the affair at 90-apiece.
*** Morris talked postgame about waiting for his opportunity: “Honestly, it was a little hard. I haven't not played before. This was the first time I haven't actually touched the floor, so it was a little hard just because I knew that I could help in some type of capacity, whether it’s physicality or being a veteran voice, whatever it was. But I just stayed in the gym and kept my mental together and just kept working. The players did a great job of coming in, and we got up and down every day, so it kind of kept my shape right. So, it was good, man. It was good for me.”
*** On the night, the Cavaliers backcourt outscored the Magic’s starting tandem of Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris, 51-13, while holding the Orlando duo to a combined 5-of-17 shooting. But Cleveland couldn’t shut everybody down. Paolo Banchero led all scorers on Tuesday – and in the series so far – with 39 points, going 14-of-24 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from deep and 7-of-8 from the stripe.
*** With the victory, the Cavaliers are now 27-8 on their home floor in the Playoffs since April 17, 2016 – the best home winning percentage in the Eastern Conference over that span. Cleveland is 16-0 all-time in the postseason after taking a 2-0 series lead.
*** After taking Tuesday’s nailbiter in Cleveland, the First Round matchup now comes down to two games. The Wine & Gold travel to Orlando to try to seal the deal in Game 6 on Friday night. Failing that, the series returns to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for a Game 7 on Sunday.