Donovan Mitchell succeeded again and the Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
Mitchell didn't score 50 points like he did in Game 6 on Friday, but he did score 39 points in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, leading the Cavaliers to a 106-94 victory over the Orlando Magic. Cleveland won 4-3 in the first round of the playoff series.
In the early going, Mitchell again received little help. Still, he carried the Cavs on his back for the second straight game. Despite some tough defense from Jalen Suggs, Mitchell had another superstar performance. In the first half, Mitchell scored 15 points on 3-of-13 shooting. However, he attacked Suggs hard and scored 17 points in the third, sparking a comeback.
Caris LeVert scored 15 points, Max Strus added 13 points and Darius Garland added 12 points for the Cavaliers, who gave Mitchell more support than he did in Friday's loss.
The home team won each game in the seven-game series. After defeating Cleveland in Games 3 and 4, Orlando appeared to be in control. And in Game 6, the Cavs didn't even score 100 points, despite Mitchell scoring 50 points.
Cleveland looked like a team with virtually nothing left, trailing by 18 points in the second quarter. However, at halftime, they narrowed the gap to 10 points, 53-43, and fought back to take the lead at 65-64. The Cavaliers outscored Orlando 33-15 in the third quarter and led 76-68 entering the fourth.
Outside shooting was a big issue for the Cavaliers in the first half as well. They shot just 2 of 11 (17.8%) from behind the arc, with Sam Merrill hitting both of them.
But Strus made two 3-pointers to break up Cleveland's long-range attack and help the rally effort. Then, with less than six minutes left in the game, Garland's three gave the Cavs their largest lead, 88-77.
Paolo Banchero started well but slumped
If Paolo Banchero hadn't yet arrived as an NBA star, he would have tried to make his presence known in Game 7 of the first playoffs, with the Magic's season on the line.
As Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN's Halftime Show, “Brothers are big time.” Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, had 38 points, 16 rebounds and three steals in the loss. This time it was he who didn't get enough help from his teammates.
Banchero was checked by Isaac Okoro in the third quarter and was limited to just four points on 1-of-7 shooting. Virtually disappearing from a scoring standpoint was a key factor in Cleveland's resurgence.
Wendell Carter Jr. totaled 13 points and Suggs added 10 points, but no other Magic player scored in double figures. That includes Franz Wagner, who has scored in double figures in each of the previous six games of the series, scoring 34 points in Game 4 and 26 points in Game 6. Wagner scored just six points on 1-of-14 shooting from the field (0-for-5 from 3).
Game 1 of the Cavaliers-Celtics second-round series is scheduled for Tuesday. Tipoff will be televised on TNT at 7pm ET.
