Despite a 50-point game from Donovan Mitchell, Cavs lose Game 6 vs. Magic

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Despite a 50-point game from Donovan Mitchell, Cavs lose Game 6 vs. Magic

Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sat, May 4, 2024 ·

12 min read

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will play a Game 7 in their first-round NBA playoff series.

Donovan Mitchell had a superb night, but the Cavaliers couldn't close out the Magic . Orlando won Game 6 103-96 to force a Game 7, which will be Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Mitchell finished with 50 points, the second-most points by a Cavalier in a playoff game, trailing only LeBron James .

Darius Garland scored 21 points, but outside of the Cavs backcourt, they just didn't have enough firepower to close out the series. Jarrett Allen missed his second consecutive game with bruised ribs, and Evan Mobley appears to have hurt his ankle during the first half. Mobley finished with only five shot attempts.

The Cavs missed a chance to win their first playoff series without James on the roster in three decades. But the Magic in Orlando have been a different animal all season, and they were able to force a Game 7, as the home team has won all six games in this series.

Here's how Game 6 unfolded through our live updates.

Magic beat Cavs 103-96 to force Game 7 in Cleveland Sunday

Donovan Mitchell, who has had to do everything himself in this fourth quarter, couldn't get a layup to go, nor could Evan Mobley after he grabbed an offensive rebound.

That was it. Mitchell was superb, and Garland had a nice night scoring through three quarters, but the Cavs had nothing else going for them.

Donovan Mitchell stats for Game 6 vs. Magic

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives to the basket against Magic forward Jonathan Isaac during the first quarter of Game 6 of a first-round playoff series, May 3, 2024, in Orlando.

Mitchell scored his 50 points on 22-of-36 shooting from the floor. He was 3-of-9 on 3-pointers and 3-for-6 at the foul line. Mitchell added four rebounds and three assists in playing 42 minutes.

More Cavs stats vs. Magic in Game 6

Darius Garland scored his 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting. He added six rebounds and five assists in 43 minutes. Max Strus was the only other Cavalier to score double figures with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go with eight rebounds. The other six Cavaliers to play combined for 15 points on 6-of-26 shooting.

Game 6 score: Magic lead 100-93 with 27.6 seconds left; Donovan Mitchell has 50 points

That was a brutal stretch for the Cavs, and the Magic are on the verge of forcing a Game 7.

Orlando forced Mitchell into a turnover, and yet another offensive rebound from the Magic forced the Cavs into a fouling situation.

Down 100-93, Mitchell buried a deep 3-pointer to keep the Cavs somewhat alive.

A couple of free throws now has the Cavs down 101-96 with 17.7 left.

Donovan Mitchell has 47 points; Cavs trail by 5 with 65 seconds to go

Donovan Mitchell is having a truly phenomenal game. He looks like he might be on fumes right now, but he has a game-high 47 points on a very efficient 21-of-34 from the floor.

But he hasn't gotten much help in this fourth quarter.

Jalen Suggs , Paolo Banchero put Magic up with 2 minutes left

The Magic are holding a 96-91 lead with 2 minutes left.

Suggs buried a 3-pointer after another Magic rebound, and Banchero drilled a jumper the next time down the floor.

Cole Anthony then added another bucket on an offensive rebound, which has been a killer for the Cavs tonight.

Donovan Mitchell reaches 40 points; Cavaliers Magic tied 89-89 in Game 6

Donovan Mitchell has reached the 40-point plateau in Game 6, and he's done it onna superb 19-of-30 shooting from the floor.

And while this was being typed, Jalen Suggs drilled and 3 and Mitchell answered with a 3 of his own, givin ghim 43 points tonight.

Evan Mobley has five blocked shots; Cavs lead Magic 84-82

Evan Mobley continues to torment the Magic near the rim. After his game-winning block of Franz Wagner in the closing seconds of Game 5, he now has five blocks tonight.

At the midway point of the fourth quarter, the Cavs are holding onto an 84-82 lead.

Max Strus pushes Moritz Wagner in the fourth quarter of Game 6

And there's some more tension.

Near the sideline, Max Strus gave Mortiz Wagner a bit of a push, but it looked like Wagner — who is 6-foot-11, 245 pounds — went to the floor a bit easier than he should have.

Strus clearly gave a hand gesture in a "Oh, come on, that's flopping" type of way.

Donovan Mitchell has 32 points through three quarters, Cavaliers lead Magic 78-73 entering fourth quarter

The Cavs backcourt has carried them all night.

Donovan Mitchell hit a driving layup as time expired at the end of the third quarter — he wanted the foul call but didn't get it, too — to give him a game-high 32 points entering the fourth quarter.

The Cavs are up 78-73 with a chance to end the series tonight.

Darius Garland has also had an extremely efficient night, scoring 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor.

Evan Mobley has been banged up. Jarrett Allen is out. Mitchell and Garland have done it all for Cleveland.

Georges Niang , Jalen Suggs share words after hard foul

Georges Niang has traded words with a few Magic players this series, and now he and Jalen Suggs shared a somewhat heated moment after a hard foul.

Niang was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen on Suggs. Niang then went to quickly pull Suggs up from his feet, perhaps faster than Suggs was ready, and Suggs pushed him.

Niang then fouled Franz Wagner hard as the latter drove to the hoop. Emotions are running higher and higher tonight.

Wagner's free throws make it a 74-73 Cavs lead with 1:20 left in the third quarter.

Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs 3s cuts Cavaliers lead to one point

The Cavaliers briefly opened up a nine-point lead after Darius Garland's nice layup, but the Magic are on an 8-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back 3s from Banchero and Suggs, and very quickly, Cleveland's largest lead of the night has been sliced to just one point, 66-65.

Cavaliers on a 13-0 run, lead Magic 62-55

The Cavs have reversed their fortunes in the third quarter.

Max Strus just buried a 3, and the Cavs have their biggest lead of the night s they try to close out the Magic in Orlando.

Though, there will be something to watch for the rest of the night, as Donovan Mitchell looks to possible be in some discomfort. He's been dealing with a sore left knee.

Donovan Mitchell leads Cavs back; Cleveland leads Orlando Magic in third quarter

The third quarters have been a huge problem for the Cavs all series, especially in Orlando, but tonight has been a different story.

Donovan Mitchell is on fire and has led the Cavs on a 10-0 run early in the third quarter. Mitchell now has a game-high 28 points already, only a few minutes into the third quarter, and the Cavs have opened a 59-55 lead.

Cavaliers struggling from 3-point range, trail Magic 53-49 at halftime

The Cavs are somehow just 1-for-14 from 3-point range but only trail the Magic by four points at halftime.

Most notably, Donovan Mitchell is 0-for-4 from 3-point range, but he's hit nearly everything from inside the arc and has a game-high 19 points. Darius Garland has 14 points, as the Cavs' backcourt has saved them thus far.

And with Allen out and Mobley dealing with an ankle injury, Mitchell and Garland might have the carry the Cavs the rest of the way.

For the Magic, it's been all Wagner, Banchero and Suggs. Wagner has a team-high 18 points, Banchero has a somewhat quiet 10 points (after his 39-point explosion in Game 5) and Suggs has 13.

Evan Mobley injury: Cavs forward heads to the bench with possible rolled ankle

Evan Mobley is currently out of the game after coming down awkwardly on his ankle while going for a rebound in the second quarter of Friday night's Game 6.

Mobley was limping pretty badly while heading toward the other end of the floor and is now on the bench.

The Cavs are already down Jarrett Allen, who is out with bruised ribs.

The Cavs now have Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris Sr . on the floor together.

The Magic currently lead the Cavs 42-38.

Cavaliers struggling to box out the Magic in Game 6

The Magic hold a 34-32 lead, largely thanks to the Cavs' inability to box out the Orlando bigs right now.

Only a few minutes into the second quarter, the Magic hold a 7-1 offensive rebounding advantage.

The Cavs allowing offensive rebounds were a problem in last year's Knicks series and Games 3 and 4 this year — there's a pretty clear similarity amongst those outcomes.

Tonight, it's been the difference.

Magic, Cavaliers Game 6 score: Orlando leads 29-25 after first quarter; Franz Wagner has 14

The Cavs have been able to penetrate the Magic defense, scoring 20 of their 25 points in the paint, but Orlando will take a 29-25 lead into the second quarter.

Franz Wagner has a game-high 14 and had a Darius Garland Game 5-type first quarter.

Tristan Thompson also had a bit of a mental error, grabbing a Banchero shot as it was coming down following a foul. The shot almost certainly wasn't going in, but it had to be counted as goaltending anyway.

Magic take a five-point lead over the Cavs

The Cavaliers have talked all series about the importance of their tempo and energy. In Games 3 and 4 in Orlando, the Magic dominated those two aspects.

So far in Game 6, the Magic again seem to be controlling the tempo a bit, and they've taken a 22-17 lead after Wendell Carter Jr. (corner 3) and Franz Wagner (layup) both added quick buckets early in the shot clock.

Cavaliers, Magic tied 15-15 midway through first quarter of Game 6

The opening moments of Game 6 has the makings of another back-and-forth, defense-first playoff game — like it was in Game 5.

Perhaps most notable for the Cavs early on is Max Strus, who has had a quiet series offensively, already scoring a team-high five points in the first six minutes of the game.

Franz Wagner has a game-high seven points. Paolo Banchero, who had a superb Game 5, hasn't really gotten much going yet.

Below is some pregame information.

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen injury update: Cavs center is out for Game 6 against the Magic

The Cavaliers have confirmed that center Jarrett Allen will miss a second consecutive playoff game with bruised ribs, as he has been ruled out for Game 6.

Allen took an elbow to the ribs during Game 4 and hasn't been able to suit up since. Marcus Morris Sr., who ended up playing a key role in Game 5, is expected to enter the starting lineup.

What time do the Cavs plays the Magic tonight?

The game is set to start at 7 p.m. in Orlando.

What channel is the Cavs vs. Magic game on?

Game 6 will be televised on ESPN. You can also watch it on Fubo TV , which offers a free trial. Fans can stream the game with a valid subscription login via Watch ESPN or by using the ESPN app.

Cavaliers guard Max Strus drives to the basket against Magic center Moritz Wagner during the second half in Game 5 of a first-round NBA playoff series, April 30, 2024, in Cleveland.

Cavs ready for 'fist fight' Game 6 of NBA playoffs vs. Magic

The Cavs know the Magic are fighting to keep their season alive tonight in Game 6. And with the Magic doing it on their home floor, Ryan Lewis writes the Cavaliers are ready to go 15 rounds with the Magic. Read more of his story here .

When did the Cavaliers last win an NBA playoffs series without LeBron James

The Cavs have not won a series without LeBron James on their roster since 1993. That was Lenny Wilkens' final season as Cleveland's head coach. With Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance Sr. and Mark Price leading the way, the Cavs won their first-round, best-of-five series 3-2 over the Nets before being swept in four games by Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What's the Cavs' all-time record in winning first-round NBA playoff series?

The Cavaliers are in the NBA playoffs for the 24th time in franchise history. They have won their first-round series 12 of the previous 23 times. The Cavs went 9-0 in winning first-round series with LeBron James on the team. They are 3-11 all-time without James. Their only first-round wins, minus James are in 1993, 1992 and 1976.

Cavaliers vs. Magic Game 6 predictions, betting lines

Both Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich see the series coming back to Cleveland for a Game 7. Read their Game 6 predictions here . For strictly entertainment purposes, the Magic enter Game 6 as 3.5 point favorites over the Cavs, according to the MGM Sportsbook. The game has an over/under point total of 200.5, as it's been a low-scoring series.

When is Game 6 of the Cavs vs. Magic playoff series?

Game 6 is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off in Orlando Friday night, May 3. Game 7, if necessary, will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, in Cleveland.

Who does the Cavs-Magic series winner play next in the NBA playoffs

The winner of this series plays the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the second round. Boston closed out the Miami Heat on Wednesday in five games.

Looking back at the Cavaliers' 97-83 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 1

Here is our coverage from Game 1:

Look back at the Cavaliers' 96-86 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 2

Here is our coverage from Game 2:

Looking back at the Cavaliers' 104-103 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead

Here is our coverage from Game 5:

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs drop Game 6 vs Magic despite 50-point game from Donovan Mitchell

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