CLEVELAND - The Orlando Magic were down two starters when they arrived in Cleveland for Wednesday’s game against the Cavs.
They left down another one.
Jalen Suggs suffered a right ankle strain with 4:55 left in the second quarter after blocking a shot and had to be helped off the court and back to the locker room. The tenacious 6-foot-5 guard tweaked the same ankle earlier in the game, but, unlike the second occurrence, was cleared to return from the original injury.
There were no further updates on Suggs’ condition immediately following the game, but head coach Jamahl Mosley did say he will undergo more testing when the team returns to Orlando.
“His spirits are as good as they can be with going down with that ankle (strain),” Mosley said.
As for the game itself, one team started scorching hot from 3-point range, while the other didn’t.
The former described the Cavaliers, who knocked down seven of their first nine shots from beyond the arc and for the game went 14-for-34.
The latter characterized the Magic, who missed their first 12 shots from downtown and went 2-for-23 on the night in a 121-111 loss.
What helped Orlando battle back from a 23-point first-half deficit, get as close as five in the third quarter and hang around until the end was a spectacular performance from Paolo Banchero, who exploded for a career-best 42 points on 16-for-26 shooting from the field and 9-for-12 from the free throw line. The 21-year-old became the second youngest player in franchise history with a 40-plus point game. Only Shaquille O’Neal, who was 20 years, 347 days old, accomplished it younger.
“It’s an honor obviously being a part of a very storied organization with the Magic, who have had a lot of great players before me,” Banchero said. “I just wanted to be aggressive. I felt good coming into the game, having a couple days off…It’s crazy. During warmups, Marty (McClain), our security guard, came up to me and was like, ‘you got a 40-ball tonight.’ And I was like, ‘yeah, I feel good.’ Sure enough, it happened. Shout out to Marty. Putting some good juju in the air.”
The long-ball discrepancy was a big factor to the outcome, but not the only one. Similar to the loss in Brooklyn on Saturday, the rebounding edge went to the opponent. Cleveland out-rebounded Orlando 45-36. This is atypical for the Magic, who coming into Wednesday’s NBA action ranked No. 1 in opponent rebounding.
Donovan Mitchell was big, too. The four-time NBA All-Star, who’s in his second year in Cleveland, erupted for 35 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field and 5-for-10 from 3-point distance.
Anthony Black had one of his best games as a pro with 11 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Although he struggled with his shooting, going 3-for-16 overall and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, Franz Wagner filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
Wendell Carter Jr. missed his 16th straight game with a fractured third metacarpal in his left hand, while Markelle Fultz missed his 13th straight game and 16th of his last 17 with left knee tendinitis. Jonathan Isaac also remained out with a right ankle sprain.
The Magic will look to snap their two-game skid when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday at 7 p.m. The rematch between the Magic and Cavs will take place at Amway Center Monday, also at 7 p.m.