Dribbles: Cavs just didn’t have it vs. Magic as remarkable streak reaches end

March 16, 2025

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 108-103 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday. …

1. Ding, dong, the streak is dead. But after 16 games without a defeat before this, I can promise that it’s no big deal. I’m guessing you knew that already.

2. The loss not only snapped the Cavs’ 16-game ride of fun, but also marked the first one with De’Andre Hunter on the team. Before that, Hunter was 14-0 in Cleveland.

3. And it was Hunter’s corner 3-pointer that could’ve given the Cavs the lead near the end. It instead hit the side of the backboard. He got the start in place of the injured Evan Mobley (foot), finishing just 2-of-11 shooting.

4. But hey, you’ll have days like this. As coach Kenny Atkinson said, this league has a way of humbling you. Last time, the Cavs beat the Magic by 40 (on the road). So maybe Orlando was out for revenge. It sure looked that way.

5. But Atkinson hardly seemed panicked as the Cavs now take off for the West Coast. “These are great teaching moments,” he said. “We’ll watch the film and try to clean things up out West.”

6. Donovan Mitchell returned from a two-game absence to score a team-high 23 points, but went just 9-of-28 from the field. He was hardly alone. The Cavs (56-11) were just 41.7 percent as a team, including a rim-rattling 10-of-40 on threes. That’s 25 percent for those keeping stats at home.

7. Normally, they’re able to overcome these lousy shooting performances by doing the little things well. But Orlando won the battle of the intangibles on this day.

8. The Cavs also seemed to commit turnovers at the worst possible time. “That was it, no doubt,” Atkinson said. “You know how it is. They turn you over once and it’s like blood in the water.”

9. It’s true, as the Cavs led 60-47 at halftime. Then Orlando became even more physical. The Magic have had their struggles this season but they still lead the league in defense. So they’re rarely out of it.

10. Cleveland scored 38 points in the first quarter. Then 43 points in the entire second half. In other words, it might be best just to throw this one in the garbage.

11. Hunter sort of shrugged when asked about the streak coming to an end. “It’s a loss,” he said. “You’re not going to win every game. The streak was cool but it’s back to the beginning. Just start another one.”

12. Jarrett Allen was fantastic in the absence of Mobley, recording his 37th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds. But he missed his frontcourt buddy. Everyone did.

13. For the record, Mobley was a game-time decision. His injury doesn’t seem like anything serious.

14. Darius Garland also played well with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. He made some nice plays down the stretch — but as you know, it just wasn’t enough. Ty Jerome added 12 points and Max Strus scored 10. Strus hit a three to put the Cavaliers up 103-102. It was their last basket.

15. Paolo Banchero led the Magic (32-38) with 24 points and 11 boards. The Cavs were able to frustrate him into 6-of-22 shooting. Still, as Atkinson pointed out, he ended up at the free-throw line way too much. Banchero finished 9-of-11 on foul shots.

16. So, that’s it. The streak is over. Now, the Cavaliers get to go on their longest trip of the season, starting Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. That’s followed by visits to Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah and Portland, respectively.

17. As Atkinson said, the NBA is unforgiving. The good news is the Cavs typically haven’t been the least bit bothered by that truth. Sunday was just an exception.