13 Stats to explain the Cavs 128-122 loss the Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t stop what has been a bad Orlando Magic offense on Wednesday, which led to their 128-122 defeat.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

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• The Magic converted 21 of their 25 shots at the rim (84%, 92nd percentile). The Cavs had no answer for Orlando’s size. They desperately missed Jarrett Allen in this one.

• Orlando outscored Cleveland by 11 points at the free-throw line. The Magic were able to get to the free-throw line often, going 28-37 (75.7%). Meanwhile, the Cavs couldn’t get to the line and had trouble converting when they did, going 17-26 (65.4%).

• Evan Mobley went 2-7 from the charity stripe. He’s struggled with his free-throw shooting all season, as he came into this game converting 63.4% at the line. This is a sizeable dip from shooting 72.5% last season.

• The Magic turned it over just six times. You’re going to have a good offense if you get to the basket, the line, and keep possession of the ball.

• Orlando had their seventh-best offensive rating for a game this season (133.7). They did this without the benefit of shooting well from beyond the arc. They converted just 34.3% of their three-pointers.

• Desmond Bane scored 11 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter. His off-balance three with 18 seconds left ended Cleveland’s chance of a comeback.

• Donovan Mitchell struggled to find his shot in the fourth quarter, going 2-8 from the field in that frame. This wasn’t Mitchell’s most efficient game. He still scored 25 points, but he wasn’t able to establish the offensive rhythm we’re used to seeing.

• James Harden — who scored a team-high 30 points — took just two shots from the field in the fourth quarter. Harden has ceded the scoring burden to Mitchell, particularly in the clutch. However, on a night like this where he had it going, the Cavs needed him to call his own number more down the stretch.

• Keon Ellis went 5-8 from three. He did exactly what you wanted him to do offensively, as he finished with 20 points.

• Dennis Schroder provided 0 points. He’s struggled in his last three outings. He’s combined for just six points on 2-11 shooting in his previous three games combined.

• Jaylon Tyson struggled once again, providing just four points.

• Dean Wade was scoreless and registered a team-worst plus/minus of -10. He isn’t in there to score, but you’d like to see him take more than two shots. Wade also struggled to contain Paolo Banchero, who finished with 25 points.

• Cleveland converted 83.3% of their shots at the rim (91st percentile). This was a good outing for the offense despite the loss. They were able to spread Orlando’s formidable defense out and create lanes to attack the paint.