What transpired Tuesday night revealed a painful, undeniable reality: Right now, this Magic team does not compare to the overachieving squad that nearly eliminated the Cavaliers last postseason. Cleveland dealt Orlando one of its most humiliating losses in years,
The Cleveland Cavaliers were without Darius Garland while Donovan Mitchell had a forgetful night, but it didn't matter in a 122-82 rout of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. Garland, Cleveland's second-leading scorer behind Mitchell,
Franz Wagner and Anthony Black each scored 23 points, Paolo Banchero added 19 and the Orlando Magic pulled away in the second half to beat the Washington Wizards 110-90 on Sunday night.
One doesn't have to be a math wiz to conclude that the Magic are behind the eight ball. It's nearly impossible for a team to succeed when its top conference rivals outscore them so prodigiously from the same shot. On Tuesday, for example, the Magic shot 5-of-28 from three against the Cavs, who went 19-of-32. The outcome? A 40-point loss.
Despite not appearing in an NBA game in nearly three years, this future Hall of Famer is not ready to call it quits yet. In a recent interview on Paul George‘s podcast (YouTube link), big man Dwight Howard revealed that he is still interested in an NBA return.