By the time Franz Wagner finished outscoring Cleveland by himself in the third quarter, what had been a competitive game turned into another rout in this series between the Orlando Magic and Cavaliers. Wagner had 34 points and 13 rebounds, and the Magic held the Cavaliers scoreless for a second-half stretch of almost seven minutes, cruising to a 112-89 victory Saturday that tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2.
After putting up 60 points in the first half, Cleveland was outscored 37-10 in the third quarter and managed only 29 points in the second half.
Wagner had 10 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter and finished with 12 in the period, when the Cavaliers missed 14 of their 18 shots.
It never swung back.
Game 4 of the series will be Tuesday night in Cleveland, where the No. 4-seeded Cavaliers won the first two by double digits before getting blown out twice in Florida.
Isaac (14 points, seven rebounds, two blocks) and Markelle Fultz (12 points, four rebounds) gave the Magic major help off the bench. Paolo Banchero, who had 35 points in Orlando’s 121-83 win in Game 3 on Thursday night, finished with nine points and five assists in his first single-digit scoring game since Nov. 29.
Jarrett Allen had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell had 18 points, all in the first half.
Including the games in this series, the Magic have won six straight at home while losing six straight on the road.
Wagner opened the second half by converting a Cleveland turnover into a layup and hitting a jump shot from the free throw line. He added a 3-pointer and a three-point play on a five-minute, 17-6 run that put Orlando up 68-67. The Magic finished the quarter with 14 straight points, and three straight baskets by Franz Wagner stretched their lead to 24 early in the fourth quarter.
Max Strus‘ 3-pointer with 5:26 left in the third quarter accounted for the Cavs’ final points of the period. They did not score again until Caris LeVert‘s jumper with 10:40 left in the fourth.
The game included several minor skirmishes, including a Jalen Suggs–Darius Garland face-to-face confrontation and a fourth-quarter flagrant foul on Strus for holding up Cole Anthony on a dunk attempt.