CLEVELAND – Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points, Caris LeVert added 15 and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a potentially franchise-shifting loss by rallying for a 106-94 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 7 to advance in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Cavs trailed by 18 in the first half and were in danger of being knocked out in the first round for the second year in a row – a scenario that may have led to firings, AP reported.
But Mitchell, who scored 50 in a Game 6 loss at Orlando and has been battling a left knee injury for months, put the Cavs on his back. He carried them past an up-and-coming-fast Orlando team whose playoff inexperience showed in the second half.
Evan Mobley grabbed 16 rebounds and Darius Garland hit a critical 3-pointer in the fourth for Cleveland, which won its first playoff series without LeBron James since 1993.
The Cavs will now begin the second round on the road against the top-seeded and well-rested Boston Celtics in Game 1 on Tuesday.
In the closing minutes, Cleveland’s towel-waving crowd chanted “We want Boston!” – a matchup that didn’t look likely an hour earlier.
Paolo Banchero scored 38 – just 14 after halftime – and added 16 rebounds to lead the Magic, who grew up in the series but couldn’t figure out how to win in Cleveland as both teams held serve on their floors.
Orlando’s Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs went a combined 3 of 28 from the field.
Down by 10 at halftime, Cleveland raised its defensive intensity in the third quarter and outscoring Orlando 33-15. The Magic went just 4 of 24 from the field in the period and seemed hesitant while waiting Banchero to do more.
The Cavs were up 85-77 in the fourth when Garland, who showed frustration earlier in the half before getting a pep talk on the bench from Mitchell, drained a 3-pointer from the corner to put Cleveland up 11.
After his shot dropped and Orlando called a timeout, a relieved Garland hugged Mitchell, who was acquired in a trade two years ago from Utah to hopefully get Cleveland closer to another championship.
The Cavs took another step with him.
Cleveland was again without starting center Jarrett Allen, who missed the final three games in the series with a painful rib injury sustained from an errant Magic elbow.
Before he got hurt, Allen was Cleveland´s most consistent player against the Magic, getting 20 rebounds in Game 2 while giving the Cavs a defensive presence underneath to at least deter Orlando drives.
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