Donovan Mitchell played the game of his life. Scoring 50 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers star put on an offensive clinic during his team’s clash against the Orlando Magic on Friday. There was only one problem, however: the Cavs lost Game 6. Falling to the Magic with a final score of 103-96, Mitchell and Co. will be forced to play a do-or-die on Sunday.
It was a tightly contested outing, with no team gaining a double-digit lead. At the end of the day, it all came down to the latter part of the fourth quarter. Tied at 86 apiece with a little less than five minutes remaining, Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero started a late Orlando push that would eventually spell doom for Cleveland.
There were multiple concerns from the Cavs’ side on Friday, and one can start with the most glaring of them all: the shortage of help for their star player.
Lack of supporting cast production
During the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell scored all of the team’s 18 points. In fact, he was the only Cavs player to put up points during the final 14 minutes of the game. No matter how unguardable Mitchell is, it definitely won’t amount to a win if he’s the only one doing damage in the homestretch.
It also doesn’t help that only two other players finished in double digits. Behind Mitchell’s 50-piece, Darius Garland followed with 21 points while Max Strus added 10. Besides those three, the six other Cavs players fielded in combined for just 15 points.
If Cleveland wants to advance to the next round, then everyone else has to step up in Game 7.
A missing Cavs frontline
In relation to the previous issue, Cleveland’s frontcourt was nowhere to be seen. With an injured Jarrett Allen (rib contusion) sidelined once more, coach JB Bickerstaff opted to move Evan Mobley to the five while inserting Marcus Morris Sr. at the four.
It surely didn’t go as the head coach planned, with Mobley tallying three points on 1-of-5 shooting and Morris scoring two points while going 1-of-7 from the floor.
On the other side, Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. finished with a near-double double while forward Paolo Banchero was virtually unstoppable (27 points). The Cavs were also outrebounded by the Magic, 48-38.
Jarrett Allen’s absence is a difficult obstacle to overcome, but if the Cavs managed to hold their own in Game 5, then it means they’re capable of repeating it again (if ever Allen is out once more).
Turnovers and three point struggles
While Darius Garland did manage to contribute on the offensive end, the point guard committed all three of his turnovers in the fourth quarter, one of which was an eight second violation while milking the clock.
All in all, 10 of the Cavs’ 13 turnovers came from their starting unit.
As for downtown shooting, Cleveland made just seven out of their 28 three-point attempts in Game 6 (25%). The team in general has been struggling with their outside shot as of late. During the regular season, the Cavs shot 36.7% from deep. In these playoffs, they’re averaging just 28.1%. Outside efficiency always plays a big role in game outcomes, so the Cavs have to make sure that they’ll shoot better come Sunday.
The last time Cleveland played in a seven-game series was in 2018, when the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Love still suited up for the team. Now, the mettle of this current roster will be tested, and basketball fans will surely be tuned in for the upcoming clash.
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