Magic overcame Donovan Mitchell’s 50 to force Game 7

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Orlando Magic overcome Donovan Mitchell’s 50 points and hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 Friday night to force a decisive game 7 in their first round NBA playoff series.

Three nights after scoring 39 points on 14-of-24 shooting in a one-point road loss that left the Magic on the brink of elimination, Banchero, 21, put his team on his back and the led to their greatest victory. in years.

Franz Wagner scored 26 points and Jalen Suggs made six 3-pointers and finished with 22 for the Magic, who pulled away in the final minutes, with Banchero scoring a three-pointer that gave Orlando for good at 92-89.

Mitchell was magnificent for Cleveland, scoring all of his team’s 18 points in the fourth quarter. Darius Garland finished with 21, but ultimately the Cavs couldn’t overcome poor 3-point shooting (7 of 28).

Game 7 is Sunday in Cleveland, where the Cavs won Games 1, 2 and 5 and are clearly playing better than on the road, where they have lost seven straight playoff games since a Game 7 victory led by LeBron James in Boston in 2018. Eastern Conference Finals.

The Cavs haven’t won a playoff series since. The Magic, in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, are aiming for their first series victory in 14 years.

Orlando won Games 3 and 4 by a total of 61 points, but came out Friday night with a slightly different look, inserting forward Jonathan Isaac into the starting lineup and moving Wagner from forward to guard to put four 6-foot-10 players on the floor. at the same time.

With center Jarrett Allen out for the second straight game due to a bruised rib, the Cavs slid forward Evan Mobley to center and started Marcus Morris Sr. after the 34-year-old came off the bench to score 12 points and raise the level of Cleveland. physicality.

The Cavs trailed 53-49 at halftime and were fortunate the deficit wasn’t bigger, considering they missed 13 of 14 3-point attempts.

With an aggressive Mitchell and Garland seemingly driving to the basket at will, Cleveland converted 22 of 32 shots inside the arc and ended up shooting 50 percent overall (23 of 46) before the break to stay close.

They finally warmed up from long range in the third quarter, with Mitchell and Max Strus scoring 3-pointers during a 17-4 spurt to start the period. They trailed by nine before closing at 78-73 heading into the fourth quarter.