Dribbles: Shots don’t drop, Cavs’ win streak ends, but fight again there

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 104-94 road loss to the Magic on Monday.

1. Twelve minutes. That was the difference. And man, that third quarter was a doozy for the Cavs.

2. Turnovers. Missed shots, missed free throws, missed layups. Nothing would fall. At least, not like it normally does. Things weren’t much better in the fourth quarter until it was much too late.

3. How bad was it? On one sequence, Darius Garland missed a 3-pointer near the top of the key. The Cavs got the rebound. Garland got the ball in the same spot. He missed again. The Cavs got the rebound,. Garland got the ball in the same spot. He missed again.

4. That’s not a typo. That’s how it happened. All were open looks for Garland, who actually was brilliant on his way to a game-high 36 points. But it’s just an example of how the night would go.

5. Shooting-wise, the numbers will make you cringe. Max Strus went 1-of-9 and 0-of-5 on 3-pointers. Georges Niang went 0-of-10. He also took five threes. Donovan Mitchell (22 points) was 2-of-10 on threes and Garland went 3-of-9. In the third quarter, the Cavs were a miserable 2-of-17 from the field. Yuck, yuck and double yuck.

6. Overall, the Cavs were 9-of-41 on threes. They settled way too often. That may be because the Magic were so much bigger and stayed close to the basket, protecting the rim.

7. It didn’t help that Jarrett Allen got into early foul trouble and was barely able to contribute. He scored four points — then fouled out with 9:39 left in the game. Yes, that means Allen had more fouls (six) than points (again, four) in just 15 minutes.

8. Tristan Thompson came in and played his best game of the season. He gave the Cavs life. And he and Garland kept them in it. Cavs fans have seen this before, as Thompson remains relentless on the glass. He finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes. But even when he’s not putting up stats, he’s annoying the other big men.

9. The Cavs (13-10) had won four straight. They started this brutal trip with a win at Miami on Friday. The next two are at Boston. Would’ve been nice to get this one, but sometimes, the shots just don’t fall. Sometimes, you can only tip your cap to the other guy.

10. The Cavs did a decent job defensively. You’re always going to miss Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert. But everyone fought at that end. Dean Wade (nine points, six rebounds) really battled and Mitchell (four steals) constantly stepped in the passing lanes.

11. I know people like to get worked up, but you’re not going to win them all. You’re just not. Sometimes it’s not your night. The Cavs didn’t even have a bad night. It was just a bad quarter. They got a little sloppy, and yes, that hurts. Mostly, though, they just couldn’t shoot straight.

12. Orlando (16-7) went up by as many as 18 in the second half. Then the Cavs started to show some extra will. They’re not the perfect team, but I do find their resolve to be admirable. This was as close to being blown out as I’ve seen them this season, and you could tell — they thought they could still win it.

13. With 1:45 to go, the Cavs had cut the deficit to five. Then, you guessed it, the shots suddenly stopped dropping again.

14. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff to reporters in Orlando: “It was a heck of a basketball game. It was hard out there. You know what I mean? There were a lot of whistles and not a whole lot of rhythm. … But I thought there were two good teams out there that competed.”

15. In other words, Bickerstaff is hardly miffed. No time for that. The Cavs have to face the Celtics in 24 hours. In the NBA, there’s always another game.

16. Mostly, no big-picture stuff to worry about with this one. At least, I assume the Cavs aren’t going to have this many miserable shooting nights. Yes, they need to take care of the ball a little better. Yes, they need to move it around a little more at times. Those are things that can be easily corrected.

17. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 20 points and 10 rebounds, coming to life in the second half. Franz Wagner added 19. Orlando is a young, balanced club that’s playing with a great deal of confidence.

18. Thanks for reading and talk to you again soon, perhaps sooner than you want. But if the Cavs steal one in Boston, hey, you may actually want to hear from me.

Cavs halftime dribbles:

1. Cavs are scrapping, fighting, giving themselves a chance on the road against a Magic team that’s very good at home.

2. So, no complaints. Then again, when you have this gig, it’s hard to complain even everyone stinks.

3. Darius Garland (19 pts) and…

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) December 12, 2023