CLEVELAND — It wasn't easy, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have 3-2 series lead over the Orlando Magic after a thrilling Game 5 victory where both teams traded leads back-and-forth for much of the fourth quarter.
Donovan Mitchell endured a late rough patch to score 28 points with six rebounds, and Evan Mobley scored 14 with 13 boards as well as a pair of blocks, including a huge stop of Franz Wagner in the final seconds that helped secure the win. Cleveland also shook up its rotation and got big minutes from Marcus Morris Jr., who finished with 12 points.
Before tipoff took place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavaliers were dealt what could have been a crushing blow with the announcement that center Jarrett Allen would miss Game 5 with a rib injury.
After a dismal showing in Orlando in games 3 and 4, Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland electrified the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd with a 17-point outburst in the first quarter (he finished with 23). The Cavs put a cherry on top of the first quarter with a Caris LeVert three-pointer and a 10-point lead.
The offense, however, stalled in the second quarter, managing to score only 15 points. The Magic responded with 24 second quarter points to bring the Cavalier lead down to one at halftime.
After being largely a non-factor in the playoffs so far, Max Strus gave the Cavaliers an offensive lift in the third quarter scoring 11 points and sinking 3 of 5 3-point attempts.
Mitchell appeared to be favoring the same knee that has been giving him trouble for the better part of 2024. Midway through the third, Mitchell took a hard shot on defense and appeared to labor his knee. He got up under his own power and remained in the game, but did not score in the third.
The Cavs would go into the 4th quarter with a 75-70 lead.
That advantage would not last long into the final period of play. It took Orlando all of a minute and a half to take back the lead on a Joe Ingles 3-pointer, causing Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff to call a timeout to regroup.
The Cavaliers responded in the next offensive possession when Mobley secured an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Morris, who drained a 3 to take the lead back for Cleveland.
The Magic would take the lead again before Mitchell knocked down a three pointer in transition off of a to put the Cavs up by two going into an Orlando time out.
The defensive intensity would continue to ramp up throughout the middle stage of the 4th quarter with both teams continuing to trade leads.
With 5:03 left in the 4th, Marcus Morris and Donovan Mitchell combined for a 5-point swing off of a 4 pointer and transition layup to give the Cavs the lead back.
Two Paolo Banchero free throws and a Max Strus three pointer would set the stage for the final three minutes of play in the 4th quarter with the Cavs leading 97-95. Coming out of a time out, Mitchell would commit his fifth foul of the game, putting him in danger of fouling out.
The Magic would take the lead yet again before Mobley's dunk put the Cavs up 99-98 with 2 minutes left to play. With 40 seconds left in the game, the Cavaliers made it a two-possession game when Mobley scored off a Garland assist.
Franz Wagner scored to cut the Cavs lead to two on the next possession. Mitchell would miss a jump shot, but the Cavs defense held with the block by Mobley. Two subsequent free-throws by Mitchell put the game out of reach.
The young Banchero finished with 39 points on 14 of 24 shooting, but the Magic as a team struggled again from beyond the arc, making only 29% of their attempts. Orlando did win the rebounding battle, but even with Allen out was still out-scored 42-30 in the paint.
Game 6 is set for Friday in Orlando at a to-be-determined time.
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