The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a dominant force in clutch moments all season. Their ability to execute under pressure has propelled them to the league’s best record in games decided by five points or fewer. But in Cleveland’s 104-103 loss to the Orlando Magic, the Cavs’ late-game offense, normally a well-oiled machine, sputtered at the worst possible time.
Cleveland’s crunch-time success has been built on efficiency, smart shot selection, and a balance of perimeter and interior scoring. Entering the game, the Cavs led the NBA with a 136.3 offensive rating in the clutch, largely due to their 42.1% three-point shooting.
But against the Magic, the Cavs’ typically elite process didn’t translate to made baskets. And when their outside shooting faltered, they ignored the most reliable option they had all night: Jarrett Allen.
Without Evan Mobley in the lineup, Allen has often shouldered the scoring burden in the paint, and against the Magic, he was no exception. Allen dominated early, scoring 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting through three quarters. Orlando, despite their size, had no answer for his rolling presence in the pick-and-roll and was unable to contain the underrated Cleveland big man.
But then, inexplicably, the Cavs went away from him. Allen took just two shots in the fourth quarter as Cleveland’s offense veered toward hurried perimeter looks and isolation plays. The result? A stagnant, inefficient final stretch that played right into Orlando’s hands.
A tale of two offenses spurned the Cavs against the Magic
The Cavs entered this game as the NBA’s top three-point shooting team, while the Magic ranked dead last. Yet, it was Orlando that caught fire from deep, hitting 13 threes at a 40% clip while Cleveland slogged through a brutal 10-of-40 performance (25%). That kind of variance happens, but great teams adjust when their primary plan isn’t working, which the Cavs didn’t do.
Instead of countering their cold shooting by going inside, Cleveland leaned harder into their misfiring perimeter attack. Mitchell and Garland shot a combined 5-of-16 in the fourth quarter, while Allen, who had been dominant inside, became an afterthought.
Cleveland led by three with under two minutes left, thanks to a smart drive-and-dish from Garland that set up an easy Allen dunk. But from there, things unraveled.
On the next possession, Mitchell forced a drive into traffic and turned the ball over. The Cavs recovered with a well-designed play that created a clean look for Max Strus, but his shot rimmed out. Moments later, Dean Wade had a wide-open corner three—arguably the best shot of the night—but his attempt clanked off the backboard.
Even with their struggles, the Cavs had a chance to tie in the final seconds. A quick-hitting sequence led to two Mitchell threes, both off solid looks, but neither found the mark. That’s how the game ended: with the Cavs still living and dying by the three when they had a dominant paint scorer begging for touches.
Why didn’t Cleveland go back to Jarrett Allen?
Orlando’s defensive scheme should have dictated a different approach from Cleveland. The Magic allow the fewest three-point attempts in the league but rank just 19th in shots allowed at the rim. The Cavs exploited this early, scoring 38 points in the paint in the first half. Yet in the second half, that approach vanished.
“I think they did a good job of presenting themselves and taking that away”, Mitchell said on why the Cavs didn’t get Allen involved down the stretch. “You got to give them credit. You make the pass and they all do their job and then rotate back out, so for him (Allen) to only have to shots and still be a menace on the boards is a credit to him.”
But that explanation doesn’t quite hold up. Yes, the Magic adjusted. But Cleveland still had opportunities to feed Allen—especially when it became clear their outside shots weren’t falling. Instead, they stuck with their usual guard-heavy shot diet and paid the price.
It’s not about wins and losses, for the Cavs, it’s about wins and lessons
You can’t win every game. But you can approach every game with a winning process. The Cavaliers didn’t play a bad game against Orlando, but they failed to adapt when their initial plan faltered.
Sloppy execution also hurt them. Seven turnovers in the third quarter alone led directly to Orlando baskets, swinging momentum. The Cavs’ backcourt, usually so poised, was careless with the ball, finishing with more turnovers (11) than assists (10).
“This is all part of it as a collective,” said Mitchell. “You know, we’ll learn from this and get better.”
The lesson? Variance in shooting is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean an offense should be dictated by it. When the threes aren’t falling, a team must find other ways to generate points. For the Cavs, that meant going back to what worked early: feeding Jarrett Allen.
They didn’t do that. And that’s why the Cavs suffered a rare home loss to the Magic.
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