CLEVELAND – If the Orlando Magic need to take away just one lesson from their recent five-game losing streak, it’s that in order for them to reach their potential they'll need to limit their live-ball turnovers.
Giveaways have plagued Orlando during that stretch, which has in part coincided with the absence of point guard Cole Anthony, who’s missed the last four contests with a sprained right ankle.
The Magic (4-16) will attempt to right that ship when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-10) on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
“(Live ball turnovers), that’s what is killing us,” said Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley after the team’s loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday. “That’s what they know and that’s what we need to continue to understand. You cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. We have to make sure that we’re stronger with the ball; that means our physicality. We have to do a better job of setting screens. Those guys are just coming in and reaching around, tapping the ball out, (and) giving the ball away. We have to stop beating ourselves.”
With the score tied through the first quarter, Chicago was able to capitalize on four Orlando turnovers to open the second as the Bulls utilized a 16-0 run to create separation from the Magic. Chicago would lead the rest of the way handing Orlando a 123-88 defeat.
“I look at it as an opportunity to teach. You look at it as opportunities to grow,” said Mosley, whose team will complete its fourth back-to-back set of the season on Saturday. “Because if these guys come in and it was just easy right away then where’s the growth? Where’s the learning? So, now that you’re going through these live-ball turnovers, you’re going through people getting physical with you and getting hit, you have to experience those (to see where you have to put in the work to get better).”
With Cavs standout rookie Evan Mobley expected to make his return from a sprained right elbow, the Magic will also need another strong showing from Wendell Carter Jr.
Orlando’s versatile big man is coming off a night where he dropped a season-high 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds against his former team. It adds to an impressive start for the 6-foot-10 power forward, who is averaging career bests in points (13.0), rebounds (9.4) and assists (2.4) per game this season, while showing off improved range by shooting 39.7 percent from deep.
“The thing with me still being a young player and being on a young team is consistency,” said Carter. “That’s our thing. This year, I haven’t been the most consistent that I’ve wanted to be. I saw this (past) game as an opportunity to get that consistency going. That’s something I am definitely focused on.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s a lot about learning. Learning from our mistakes because a lot of times we are in the game, and we are shooting ourselves in the foot. As you guys know, a lot of turnovers, a lot of simple fouls, bad shot selection. But the good thing is when we do the right things and we play the right way we are scoring the ball, we are doing the right things defensively. We got to continue to hang our hats on the defensive end, which we all know that. We know we have to come out and compete and that’s going to be what separates us. But also, for us being young, in order for us to grow we can’t keep making the same mistakes. That’s my one thing I keep relaying to the guys. That just because we are young doesn’t mean we have to keep making the same mistakes. We are very capable of doing the right things because we do it. I think it’s just a learning curve of understanding we got to take care of the ball, when to push, stuff like that. It took me a while to learn, so just trying to keep enforcing these guys and keeping a positive energy. Just coming in every day, understanding that we are just trying to get better. It’s been fun. That’s the biggest thing. We’re having fun while we’re doing it and we’re all trying to push each other.” – Markelle Fultz on his observations of the team. Read more about the latest on his rehab process here.
IN AND OUT: Mo Bamba (back spasms) and Terrence Ross (back spasms) are probable, while Anthony (sprained right ankle), Michael Carter-Williams (left ankle), Fultz (left knee), Jonathan Isaac (left knee), and E’Twaun Moore (left knee sprain) all remain out for Orlando.
For Cleveland, Mobley (right elbow sprain) is probable, Lamar Stevens (right ankle sprain) and Dean Wade (left calf strain) are questionable, and Tacko Fall (G League – Two-Way), RJ Nembhard Jr. (G League – Two-Way), and Collin Sexton (left knee) are out.
RIVALS REPORT: In this edition of our Rivals Report series, we’re joined by Chris Manning, who covers the Cavs for Fear the Sword, the Cavs blog at SB Nation, and co-hosts the Locked On Cavs podcast. He was kind enough to take the time to answer three key questions about the team.
Savage: “Evan Mobley is expected to make his return on Saturday against the Magic. What have you seen from the Cavs rookie prior to his injury?”
Manning: “In my mind, he’s been the best rookie in the league. I think defensively, he’s already kind of outrageous. He, along with Jarrett Allen, are setting the scheme for Cleveland and what J.B. Bickerstaff wants to do. He’s switchable (and) he’s been pretty malleable. The lineups with him at center – which they don’t do a ton of because he’s kind of thin and doesn’t really play physical yet – they’re really spaced out on offense when he plays the five. The offensive numbers look really good with him in that spot. He’s been as advertised and probably better. I think he’s more advanced on the offensive end than I might have thought seeing him at summer league and seeing him in college. He looks like a star. The Cavs have a guy who I think can be their face for a long time here barring progression and health and everything. He looks like the real deal. He’s been incredible since day one and it’s a big, big deal to get him back.”
Savage: “Collin Sexton’s season-ending injury obviously has implications on this Cavs team. What do you think is the biggest impact from his absence?”
Manning: “The offense sticks a little bit with him out. You’ll see the team play sometimes good offense, but a lot of times they’re just rolling out Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio or sometimes Cedi Osman just pulling something out and figuring it out. They do not have a ton of offensive flow or rhythm in a way that a really good offensive team does. They’re relying on two guards to kind of make everything happen. Getting Mobley back will help. Getting Jarrett Allen back after he missed some time with an illness was key because he screens a lot, and that infrastructure has mattered to them. They’re still in a spot where they miss Collin’s ability to score. His role was more off ball this year. His numbers were kind of down as far as usage and scoring across the board, but they miss his ability to just making something happen and they miss his speed in transition. So, they’re still trying to figure out what they are on offense without him. They were trying to figure out what they are with him with Mobley and with Garland. So, it’s a tricky thing for them to figure out.”
Savage: “For Magic fans who don’t watch this team as closely, what is one other thing to pay attention to in their matchup with the Cavs?”
Manning: “The big thing would be just watch Isaac Okoro and see what he looks like. I’m a big Okoro believer. I think his defense is already kind of outrageous, but his offense is very inconsistent. There’s a lot of working being put into what his shot is and what his shot looks like. So, what he looks like as the starting two guard after he played basically a ton of his minutes at the three last year and now with Sexton gone, he’s going to be the two. What he looks like in that role, how he looks on offense, how teams defend him, are all micro things to consider with him. He’s going to be really important for this team going forward. He’s maybe not the lead piece that Mobley or Garland or Allen is, but he’s really important. If he can figure out on offense to some degree, it gives the Cavs another really useful piece to supplement their core with. He’s missed some time earlier with a hamstring injury, but he’s been back and has shot well of late. His shot still looks a little inconsistent, but he’s one of the big fringe pieces to look at.”