Game ID: 22300294
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic
Monday, December 11, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Amway Center, Orlando, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ORL 22 29 30 23 104CLE 29 25 15 25 94
CLE @ ORL ScoutingCLE @ ORL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ORL availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Carter Jr. missed 13 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 10 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 2 since 11/26, returns tonight: 7 min (42% of 16)
NEW Anthony 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 25 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/02 · back-to-backOUT Carter Jr. missed 14 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 11 since 11/11, out tonight
BACK Isaac back 12/01 after 2, 7 min since (42% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT Carter Jr. missed 15 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 12 since 11/11, out tonight
BACK Isaac back 12/01 after 2, 7 min since (42% of 16)
NEW Anthony 22 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 20 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Carter Jr. missed 16 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 13 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
NEW Anthony 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 22 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Carter Jr. missed 17 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 14 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 3 since 12/02, returns tonight: 13 min (82% of 16)
NEW Black 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 23 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/15 · 3 days' restOUT Carter Jr. missed 18 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 15 since 11/11, out tonight
BACK Isaac back 12/01 after 2, 10 min since (62% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Carter Jr. missed 19 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Fultz missed 16 since 11/11, out tonight
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (90% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 25 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/20 · 2 days' restOUT Carter Jr. missed 20 since 11/04, returns tonight: 23 min (91% of 26)
OUT Fultz missed 17 since 11/11, out tonight
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (94% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 27 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 18 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 2 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 23 min since (91% of 26)
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (89% of 16)
NEW Black 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 4 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 11/25 after 4, 35 min since (97% of 36)
BACK LeVert back 11/22 after 2, 24 min since (84% of 28)
BACK Okoro back 11/25 after 9, 15 min since (56% of 26)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 21 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 5 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 4 since 11/25, returns tonight: 2 min (15% of 17)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 11/28, returns tonight: 2 min (23% of 11)
BACK Mitchell back 11/25 after 4, 34 min since (96% of 36)
BACK LeVert back 11/22 after 2, 24 min since (86% of 28)
BACK Okoro back 11/25 after 9, 15 min since (58% of 26)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 18 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT Wade missed 6 since 11/22, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 20)
BACK Mitchell back 11/25 after 4, 34 min since (95% of 36)
BACK Okoro back 11/25 after 9, 19 min since (71% of 26)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 2 min since (15% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 2 min since (23% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT LeVert missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 14 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 2 min since (15% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 4 min since (37% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT LeVert missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 19 min since (95% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 6 min since (37% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 8 min since (76% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/12 · back-to-backOUT Eva. Mobley missed 2 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 23 min (81% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 23 min since (110% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 10 min since (58% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 13 min since (123% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 3 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 23 min since (81% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 10 min since (58% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 13 min since (120% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 4 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 12/12, returns tonight: 8 min (47% of 17)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 15 min (119% of 13)
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 29 min since (102% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 21 min since (101% of 20)
CLE availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 5 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 8 min since (47% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 15 min since (119% of 13)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 28 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 25 and Banchero at 24 a game. Without Carter Jr. (17 straight), Fultz (14 straight), Isaac (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 104, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Garland at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without LeVert (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 104 a night to Orlando's 117 and the line, where Orlando takes 28 free throws a game to Cleveland's 19. Call it Orlando 114, Cleveland 111, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/01 vs WAS 130-125 — ORL notes
ORL won 130-125. ORL shot 52% (46 of 89) to WAS's 51%, 12 of 31 from three. F. Wagner led with 31 (9 of 17, 1 of 3 from three, 12 of 14 at the line); Banchero added 28, M. Wagner 18. The hinge was Q3, 34-28: ORL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 3. ORL trailed 58-61 at the half and won the second half 72-64. Ingles was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/02 @ BKN 101-129 — ORL notes
ORL lost 101-129. ORL shot 40% (35 of 88) to BKN's 51%, 9 of 29 from three. The glass went 37-57 against them. F. Wagner led with 20 (6 of 16, 2 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Anthony added 20, Banchero 19. Q3 was theirs, 34-25, the deficit cut from 22 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 104-67 against them. Anthony's -32 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/06 @ CLE 111-121 — ORL notes
ORL lost 111-121. ORL shot 49% (41 of 84) to CLE's 53%, 2 of 23 from three, and went to the line 37 times to CLE's 20 — 27 points from the stripe to their 15. Banchero led with 42 (16 of 26, 1 of 5 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Anthony added 19, F. Wagner 14. Q2 was theirs, 32-28, the deficit cut from 17 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 93-79 against them. Houstan's -13 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 vs DET 123-91 — ORL notes
ORL won 123-91. ORL shot 55% (49 of 89) to DET's 42%, 10 of 26 from three. ORL turned it over 9 times to DET's 15. F. Wagner led with 27 (12 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Banchero added 24, Anthony 16. The hinge was Q3, 35-24: a lead of 14 became 25, and the lead reached 34. Bitadze was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/11 vs CLE 104-94 — ORL notes
ORL won 104-94. ORL shot 46% (39 of 84) to CLE's 35%, 7 of 26 from three, and got to the line 25 times to CLE's 33. Banchero led with 20 (9 of 21, 0 of 3 from three); F. Wagner added 19, Bitadze 15. The hinge was Q3, 30-15: ORL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 18. ORL trailed 51-54 at the half and won the second half 53-40. Black was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/15 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Brown at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 30 from three, 28 free throws a game; Banchero at 27 and F. Wagner at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Carter Jr. (18 straight), Fultz (15 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Orlando minus-5 and the arc, Boston at 39 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Boston 115, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
12/17 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Brown at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 24 and F. Wagner at 19 a game. Without Carter Jr. (19 straight), Fultz (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 38 percent from three to Orlando's 30 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Orlando minus-3. Call it Boston 117, Orlando 110.
12/20 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 27 and F. Wagner at 17 a game. Without Carter Jr. (20 straight), Fultz (17 straight). 2 days' rest. Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Jaquez Jr. at 17 a game. Without Jović (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, Miami at 42 percent from three to Orlando's 30 and the glass, where Miami has been plus-3 a night and Orlando minus-2. Call it Orlando 113, Miami 111, Miami keeping it close.
12/21 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 136 a night and allowing 121, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 33 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Lillard at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Crowder (18 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 21 and F. Wagner at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Fultz (18 straight), Ingles (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the line, where Milwaukee takes 33 free throws a game to Orlando's 21 and the defense, Orlando allowing 108 a night to Milwaukee's 121. Call it Milwaukee 122, Orlando 113.
11/30 vs POR 95-103 — CLE notes
CLE lost 95-103. CLE took 12 more shots (89 to 77), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to POR's 51%, 7 of 32 from three. CLE turned it over 17 times to POR's 22. Mitchell led with 23 (7 of 20, 1 of 9 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Mobley added 20, Garland 15. Q1 was theirs, 25-22, but the other 3 periods went 81-70 against them. They led by as many as 16. LeVert's -17 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/02 @ DET 110-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 110-101. CLE shot 49% (44 of 89) to DET's 47%, 10 of 30 from three. CLE turned it over 11 times to DET's 16. Strus led with 22 (9 of 16, 4 of 10 from three); Garland added 22, Mitchell 20. The hinge was Q2, 29-18: CLE came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 6. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/06 vs ORL 121-111 — CLE notes
CLE won 121-111. CLE shot 53% (46 of 86) to ORL's 49%, 14 of 34 from three, and got to the line 20 times to ORL's 37. Mitchell led with 35 (12 of 24, 5 of 10 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Garland added 26, Strus 17. The hinge was Q1, 37-20: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/08 @ MIA 111-99 — CLE notes
CLE won 111-99. CLE shot 46% (40 of 87) to MIA's 43%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 26 times to MIA's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 10. CLE turned it over 13 times to MIA's 18. The glass went 51-37 for them. Mitchell led with 27 (9 of 17, 3 of 8 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Garland added 18, Niang 13. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 18. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/11 @ ORL 94-104 — CLE notes
CLE lost 94-104. CLE shot 35% (30 of 85) to ORL's 46%, 9 of 40 from three, and went to the line 33 times to ORL's 25 — 25 points from the stripe to their 19. Garland led with 36 (11 of 23, 3 of 9 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Mitchell added 22, Thompson 10. Q1 was theirs, 29-22, but the other 3 periods went 82-65 against them. Okoro's -21 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/12 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 27 and Brown at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 3 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 23 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (2 straight), LeVert (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Cleveland's 31 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 104 a night to Boston's 112. Call it Boston 115, Cleveland 108.
12/14 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 25 and Brown at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 26 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 35 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 107 a night to Boston's 114. Call it Boston 116, Cleveland 109.
12/16 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Garland at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Eva. Mobley (4 straight), Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Young at 30 and Bogdanović at 24 a game. Without Johnson (9 straight), Hunter (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Atlanta's 121 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 14 times a game to Atlanta's 11. Call it Cleveland 118, Atlanta 114, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/18 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Garland at 25 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (5 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 42 percent and 36 from three, 30 free throws a game; VanVleet at 18 and Sengun at 15 a game. Without Thompson (3 straight), Whitmore (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 30 free throws a game to Cleveland's 20 and the defense, Houston allowing 103 a night to Cleveland's 112. Call it Cleveland 110, Houston 108, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLEDG D. Garland
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
ORLAB A. Black
CA C. Anthony
FW F. Wagner
GB G. Bitadze
GH G. Harris
JI J. Ingles
JI J. Isaac
JS J. Suggs
MW M. Wagner
PB P. Banchero
CLE/ORL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Paolo Banchero, Magic hold Cavaliers to 15 points in 3rd quarter, win 104-94
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — Orlando's Paolo Banchero had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Franz Wagner scored 19 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't recover from a dismal third quarter Monday night in a 104-94 loss to the Magic.
Darius Garland scored 36 points for the Cavaliers, who made only two of 17 shots in the third and finished with 15 points in the period. Donovan Mitchell added 22 points for the Cavaliers, who had won four straight on the road.
Cleveland's scoring total was a season low.
“They had some momentum plays that shifted in their favor,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They got the crowd involved. They attacked us in the paint. ... We struggled to score there.”
Goga Bitadze had 15 points for the Magic, who have won 11 of 13 with one of the losses coming at Cleveland last Wednesday, when they shot 2-for-23 from 3-point range. They shot 7-for-26 Monday night, but the Cavs were even worse (9 of 40 from 3 and 35.3% overall).
“We knew we didn't have our best game in Cleveland, and we wanted to show them, and show everybody, that we don't want to be the doormat anymore,” said Jalen Suggs , who had 12 points and spent much of the game trying to slow down Garland and Mitchell.
Banchero sprained his right ankle late in the third quarter. He returned with the ankle re-taped with 6:39 remaining and helped the Magic hold onto the lead.
“It just shocked me at first, put me on the ground,” Banchero said, “but I put some weight on it and felt like I could come back.”
Cleveland led 54-51 after a first half in which Garland scored 19 points.
With 7-footer Evan Mobley missing a second straight game due to a sore left knee, Jarrett Allen was called for his fourth foul just 20 seconds into the second half, leaving the Cavaliers outmanned in the front court.
Banchero, Wagner and Bitadze took full advantage, scoring all the points during a 12-0 run late in the period that left the Magic with a 76-65 lead. By the time Allen fouled out early in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were down 89-71.
Garland and Mitchell got the Cavs back into the game in the fourth, but the closest they could get was 99-94 on steal and a layup by Mitchell with 1:36 left.
“It came down to shot-making at the end of it,” Bickerstaff said. “It was a good, competitive game, but at the end of the day the scoreboard ticks for a reason, and we just didn't make enough shots to win it.”
Joe Ingles , who led the Magic's first-half scoring with 12 points, left in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle but returned to start the fourth.