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Orlando Magic Lose Key Starter Amid Game 5 Loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics
By Christian Alamodin | Last updated 5/1/24

The Orlando Magic did everything they could to turn the tides of the series in their favor. Game 5 was a closely fought contest with neither the Magic nor the Cleveland Cavaliers gaining a comfortable advantage for much of the game.

However, the Magic eventually fell despite the best efforts of players like Paolo Banchero. The Magic need to tweak their overall game plan if they want to force a Game 7 back in Cleveland.

Unfortunately, they may have to prepare for Game 6 without their starting point guard after he suffered a terrible injury during the game.

Orlando Magic lose Gary Harris to hamstring strain, might not return for Game 6

Gary Harris had to hobble off the court during his team’s Game 5 loss due to a sudden hamstring strain. Since the injury is sudden, it’s likely that he’ll have to sit Game 6 out and watch the Magic play without him.

#Magic announced guard Gary Harris has suffered a right hamstring strain vs. #Cavs and will not return tonight.

— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 1, 2024

However, it’s also important to remember that he hasn’t had the best series against the Cavaliers. Through five games, he’s averaging a shocking 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.2 steals a night.

He couldn’t buy a bucket throughout the five games the Magic and Cavs have played so far. The former Denver Nugget is shooting for 25% on the field and 26% from deep. With his shooting form off, his absence may not be such a huge loss for Orlando.

The Magic need to win Game 6 if they want to advance to the second round

While the Magic won’t miss Harris’ production, the team does need to step up their level of play. Only Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs are scoring more than 10 points a game for the Magic, making them very easy to contain.

The rest of the team must step up and make shots to ease the load on their core trio. If they don’t manage to ease the scoring load on their stars, they can start booking plane tickets to Cancun.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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