It was the second consecutive loss for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Orlando Magic.
While the final score may have been closer the result remains the same. The Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to avenge their loss on Monday and again were on the wrong side of a double-digit score differential. The Magic came out on top 105-94, handing the Cavs their second loss in three days.
The Cavaliers came into the game shorthanded missing several key players including Darius Garland and Kevin Love. This is in addition to being without key role players such as Dante Exum, Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr., and Matthew Dellavedova. Cleveland’s lack of depth really came to light during the 3rd quarter which saw Orlando take a 19 point lead. At the end of the day the Magic were just too much for a depleted Cavs team.
The one area that can be pointed to as an issue was the poor three-point shooting from the Cavs. Cleveland only made 4 of 26 three-point attempts and that certainly played a factor in the loss. A couple more made shots three-point range or closer field goal attempts may have changed the outcome of the game.
Collin Sexton led in scoring, but was not efficient
The Cavaliers were going to need someone to shoulder the scoring load and that person was Collin Sexton. The only problem was it was not an efficient outing and was much more reminiscent of his rookie season. Sexton went 8-20 from the field, 3-7 from deep, and made both shots at the free throw line totaling 21 points. The third year guard did the best he could, but it was clearly not enough. On the bright side this was the eighth straight game of 20 points or more for Sexton which is a Cavaliers record.
This man’s up to something. 👀 pic.twitter.com/4xLyBQU5tI
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 7, 2021
Andre Drummond’s double-double streak continues
Even though he battled foul trouble throughout the game (4 total), Andre Drummond was still able to continue and extend his team record double-double streak with his eighth consecutive to start the season. Drummond finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds and made 9 of 16 shots from the field. Drummond’s 26 minutes was the least amount played by any Cavaliers starter and that was due to the aforementioned foul issue.
