Paolo Banchero Shines, But Donovan Mitchell Too Much as Magic Lose Again vs. Cavs

Orlando dropped a second game in a row against Cleveland.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero rebounds in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers. | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are still in the loss column after a 114-98 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers inside Rocket Arena.

The Magic started the game off with a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter. However, they did not have the defense necessary in the second quarter to keep up with Cleveland.

The Cavs outscored the Magic 39-24 in the second quarter alone to take a five-point lead into the break. The Cavs were able to double that lead in the third quarter, giving them a double-digit lead going into the fourth. From there, the Cavs continued to build their lead and walked away with the victory.

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

Magic Struggle in Another Loss vs. Cavaliers

Magic were led by Paolo Banchero who scored a season-high 37 points on 13-of-21 from the floor. He also had 10 rebounds for a double-double. Desmond Bane was next on the leaderboard for points with 19, while Anthony Black added 14 of his own. Jalen Suggs struggled in his second game back from injury, making just 2-of-13 shots from the field, including going 0-of-5 from deep. As a team, the Magic made just 11-of-39 attempts from beyond the three-point line.

The Cavs saw Donovan Mitchell go off for the second game in a row. He matched his jersey number scoring 45 points on 15-25 shooting from the field, including going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Evan Mobley had 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Jaylon Tyson had 14 points of his own.

The loss marks the fourth straight for the Magic dating back to just over a week ago when they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in London. They also have dropped games to the Charlotte Hornets and two to the Cavaliers since returning home from Europe. The losing streak marks their longest of the season dating back to October 2014, when they fell to the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. It's been a rut for the Magic who are just one game above.500 at this moment in time.

The team desperately needs Franz Wagner back from injury, but they also need to figure out what is going on with the players that are currently on the floor. Banchero was good tonight, but it will take more than that to beat playoff-caliber teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Magic return to the court on Wednesday against the Miami Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside the Kaseya Center.