The Cavaliers headed down to Orlando, Florida, for their final pre-season game of 2026, a rematch of Sunday night's game at Rocket Arena.
After Sunday's win, Kenny Atkinson told the media that he would ramp up his regular-rotation minutes before the regular season starts, including for his starters.
First Quarter:
Orlando got off to a hot start; Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero both had strong play going into the first timeout. Wagner started the game with 10 points, shooting 4/6 from the floor, and Banchero hit his first three shots for seven points. Peyton Watson got the Cavs offense rolling early, including drawing a foul on a three-point shot and an incredible put-back dunk off of a Jaylon Tyson miss.
Evan Mobley continued to provide his signature strong defense, including a blocked shot that bounced off the backboard, but he missed all five shots. The Cavs ended the quarter down 35-28, despite Donovan Mitchell scoring six points and having three assists.
Second Quarter:
Orlando kept their hot shooting going, having an 11-0 run that extening their lead to 16 points. The Cavs were able to end the run with a floating jumper from Mitchell, James Harden checked back in and drew an and-1 on Noah Penda. The Cavs small ball lineup helped them get back into the game, but Orlando got back on track holding a 20 point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half.
The Cavs closed the first half down by 20 after too many sloppy moments. Cleveland shot just 26% from the perimeter, and Orlando outrebounded the Cavs 34-17.
Third Quarter:
The second half started more of the same way. While Cleveland went through the motions, Orlando was relentless, extending their lead to 31 points.
The Cavaliers started the quarter shooting 3/10, but kept letting the Magic get to the rim as they pleased. The Cavs showed signs of life, but then gave the ball back to Orlando, including Harden getting picked by Wagner, leading to a dunk when he was by himself on his side of the court.
The offense found a groove to end the quarter, with Mitchell improving as a playmaker and Mobley playing with more aggression, but the Cavs still trailed 108-83.
Fourth Quarter:
Mario Hezonja hit a three-pointer to start the quarter, hitting his second basket on his first seven attempts. The former Orlando Magic draft pick then hit an impressive three-pointer on the left wing, falling out of bounds. He kept the hot streak going, making three of his first five shots for eight points.
With seven minutes remaining, the Cavaliers' rotation players sat down for the remainder of the game, with Kenny Atkinson bringing in Meleek Thomas, Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Tristan Enaruna, and Thomas Bryant checking in.
The young players showed nice glimpses, including Thomas showing off his offensive skills, moving without the ball, and scoring 14 points. Orlando won 132-116.
Positives:
Despite the result, the Cavaliers had some good things to discuss. Donovan Mitchell had a nice performance with 15 points and eight assists. Evan Mobley found an offensive groove, finishing with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and two blocks, while Meleek Thomas had his best game yet.
Negatives:
The team's effort confirmed that this was a pre-season game that didn't matter, but the enthusiasm had lacked for stretches of the game.
The Cavs had 12 turnovers and were outrebounded by 16 total. After playing so well on Sunday, James Harden struggled, shooting 3/12 with three turnovers. As a team, Cleveland struggled to hit threes, going 11/35 from the perimeter.
Up Next:
The Cleveland Cavaliers begin the regular season a week from Thursday against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7PM, and the game will broadcast on ESPN.
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