Magic Defense Must Learn From Donovan Mitchell vs. Cavaliers

Orlando allowed the Cleveland star to go off on offense in the last game.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are facing off against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight game, this time inside Rocket Arena, as opposed to the Kia Center.

Mitchell scored 36 points on 15-of-30 shooting with nine assists in the Magic's 119-105 loss against the Cavs. Containing Mitchell will be key if the Magic want to have a different result against the Cavs in their second game in three nights.

“Yeah, I mean, I think it starts with just keeping the ball square. A couple of times, he rejected the screen. You know, give him credit. He’s a hell of a player," Magic guard Desmond Bane said.

"You know, I thought AB (Anthony Black) did a great job for most of the night. Really frustrated him and made it tough on him. Like you said, in that fourth quarter, he kind of got loose but, you know, like we said, he’s a great player and we’ll have to bring the same level of physicality that we did in the first half to him for a full 48 (minutes) for him.”

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives to the basket against Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Magic Defense Must Improve vs. Cavaliers

If the Magic want to avoid their first 4-game losing streak since October, they're going to have to defend the Cavs a lot better. Magic head coach Jamal Mosley explained what he is looking for in his team to have a better result.

"I really think we’ve got to do a better job containing the ball, I thought we were good and decent in our pick and roll defense, getting hits on guys rolling to the rim. But again, getting out to those shooters on time, we had trouble closing out the right way, and again, they hit some tough ones, and we missed a lot of easy ones," Mosley said.

It won't be as easy defending the Cavs on the road, but this might be what the Magic need in order to get back on track. The odds are already stacked against them after losing three straight, including a game against the Cavs. However, they still have a shot if they can make the right adjustments.

The Magic are slated to tip off against the Cavs at 7 p.m. ET inside Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on Peacock as part of the streaming service's doubleheader for the night.