CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavs opened their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Magic with a 97-83 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Saturday.
Donovan Mitchell had yet another rousing Game 1 as he scorched for 30 points on 11 of 21 shooting while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley locked down the paint and cleaned the glass. The two seven-footers combined for 29 of the Cavs’ 54 rebounds, both collecting double-doubles, with the Twin Towers scoring 16 points each. The Magic had just 40 total boards.
While it was known that this would be a defensive-minded series, the Cavs may have overachieved in that respect with some help from the Magic’s poor shooting. Cleveland held Orlando to its second-lowest scoring output of the season and their worst field goal (32.6) and 3-point percentage (21.6) of the year.
Relive the game as it happened with the real-time updates and highlights below.
FINAL: Cavs 97, Magic 83
Cavs take Game 1. They take the shot clock violation and win 97-83. Jarrett Allen said that this could be a first to 85 type series. The Cavs held the Magic below that mark. Max Strus said Game 1 tell everything, and the Cavs got the job done, never trailing in the contest to set the tone for the series. Game 2 is on Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern on NBA TV.
1:32: Donovan Mitchell just took a charge from Paolo Banchero and was just as hype if he had gotten a tough bucket. Every possession matters. Banchero also has nine turnovers in the game.
2:11: Darius Garland joins the double figures club, and the Cavs lead 94-81.
2:45: Donovan Mitchell is getting “MVP” chants at the charity stripe while hitting both free throws for his 30th points to put the Cavs up 92-78.
4:15: Darius Garland draws two quick fouls on Jalen Suggs. Suggs has four fouls in the game.
4:45: Donovan Mitchell hits a 3-pointer and holds his follow through for an extended period before turning to the Cavs faithful and hyping them up as he walks back to the bench. Magic timeout.
5:28: Donovan Mitchell and J.B. Bickerstaff are passionately conversating about miscommunication on defensive reads that have allowed the Magic to claw back into the game.
6:52: Timeout Cavs. They lead 80-71 as the Magic have gone on a 13-2 run over the last four minutes.
8:28: Evan Mobley has his third career playoff double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also has four blocks.
8:28: Okoro seems to have been hit in the mouth but was called for a foul. The Magic are in the bonus and will shoot free throws. Okoro is still being checked out by the medical staff on the bench.
8:28: Isaac Okoro missed a fastbreak layup, but as he was on the ground, he reached for the loose ball and was toppled over by a Magic player. Okoro is still on the ground being evaluated by the Cavs medical team.
9:44: Georges Niang just picked up his fourth foul. A reminder that Dean Wade is out with a knee injury, and the Cavs have limited back up power forwards available.
10:14: Evan Mobley just rejected Mo Wagner’s shot to the point that he fell to the floor in front of the Cavs’ bench. They loved it. Wagner got up clapping.
10:27: Cavs fans are not happy with the officiating tonight as “Ref, you suck!” chants fill the arena.
11:19: Isaac Okoro converts a fast break layup for his first bucket of the game to put the Cavs up by 20 points.
11:41: Darius Garland starts the final frame with a triple.
12:00: Darius Garland is wearing a heating pad like contraption for his back, which he sat out the final game of the regular season for. Looks like he might have an extra cushion on his chair for timeouts and in between quarters as well.
Fourth quarter
29.6: Back-to-back and-1 buckets for Caris LeVert to give the Cavs a 15-point lead after converting the free throw.
52.0: Tough and-1 bucket from Caris LeVert for his first bucket of the contest. He missed the free throw. Cavs up 70-58.
2:32: Timeout Orlando after Georges Niang lays in his first bucket of the night. Donovan Mitchell has seven of the Cavs’ 13 points in the third quarter and he has 21 points in the game, the 37th time in his playoff career he’s scored 20 or more points. Mitchell also has three steals in the game.
4:58: Donovan Mitchell hit a tough and-1 layup that he converted at the charity stripe. Cavs lead 60-53.
6:29: When it comes to protecting the ball, Max Strus is having an uncharacteristic night. He has four turnovers.
7:48: Jarrett Allen has a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He had 42 double-doubles in the regular season. The most since LeBron James in the 2017-18 season.
9:26: Out of the timeout, Darius Garland is not on the court for the Cavs, and Caris LeVert is now in.
9:26: Jalen Suggs just converted back-to-back 3-point plays -- a three-pointer and an and-one dunk -- after the Cavs turned the ball over, and the momentum is beginning to swing to the Magic. Timeout Cavs, who lead 55-47.
10:07: Darius Garland is not moving as effectively to start the second half. Caris LeVert was at the scorer’s table but Garland waved him and J.B. Bickerstaff off as if he didn’t want to come out of the game.
10:20: Jarrett Allen gets the first points of the quarter as he cleans up Donovan Mitchell’s missed layup.
11:05: Max Strus turned the ball over but made up for it with a transition block.
Third quarter
Halftime: Darius Garland is mic’d up for tonight’s Game 1 matchup.
Halftime: Cavs lead 53-41 -- Evan Mobley is the Cavs’ leading scorer with 16 points and the Cavs have three players in double figures while the Orlando Magic have just one, Paolo Banchero. The Cavs held the Magic to just 15 points in the second period.
1:29: Donovan Mitchell just drew a foul from Jalen Suggs and Mitchell walked to halfcourt to hype up the Cavs fans on the other end of the floor. The Cavs are in the bonus and Mitchell knocked down both free throws to give the Cavs a 53-39 lead.
2:51: Back-to-back poster slams from Jarrett Allen over Jonathan Isaac, who the Magic had opted to start to attempt to slow down Allen and Evan Mobley. Allen’s latest dunk came on an assist from Darius Garland. The Cavs are loving the energy and effort from Allen who was surrounded by his teammates at halfcourt before heading back to the bench because the Magic needed another timeout.
4:07: Jarrett Allen is working hard on the glass and just drew a foul going for a rebound after a Donovan Mitchell miss. Even after making 1 of 2 free throws, Allen received a wrap around pass from Mitchell on the next possession and dunked it on Jonathan Isaac’s head.
4:50: Donovan Mitchell just took Franz Wagner off the dribble for a layup and planted the made basket into Wagner’s chest before heading back down the court. This Cavs team is trying to send a message that their toughness isn’t to be tested this year.
6:04: Coming out of the break, the Cavs will have Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, and Georges Niang on the court.
6:04: The Cavs call a timeout. They lead 40-33. Both teams have only scored seven points thus far in this period. Six of those seven points were from Evan Mobley, who was being guarded by Cole Anthony.
8:19: Joe Ingles missed the technical free throw. Now Niang is at the line. He missed the first and made the second.
8:19: Georges Niang received a technical foul for taunting, but he also drew a flagrant foul from Fultz.
8:19: On a fastbreak layup, Georges Niang ran into Markelle Fultz drawing a foul and immediately got into the chest of Fultz to let him know about it. Niang is one of the players the Cavs went and got this offseason for moments just like these. He lives for them, and J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavs bench, and the arena are loving it.
9:29: Moritz Wagner just pushed Evan Mobley into the stands and was called for a foul, but as he was walking to the other side of the court, Isaac Okoro checked him and received a technical foul. Joe Ingles hit the technical free throw. Cavs lead 35-29. Wagner is someone the Cavs knew would try to challenge them mentally as he talked smack in their previous meeting this season.
10:19: Sam Merrill checks into the game for the Cavs.
10:36: Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns is in the building. He’s also a minority owner of the Cavs. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse erupted when he showed up on the video board.
10:36: The call was overturned from a defensive foul to an offensive foul. Cavs ball.
10:36: Georges Niang was just called for a questionable foul and flailed on the court, throwing a minor tantrum in disgust with the referee. The Cavs are challenging the ruling on the floor.
Second quarter
End of first quarter: Cavs lead 33-26 -- Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell lead the Cavs with 10 points a piece
31.4: Evan Mobley has checked back in and promptly sent a shot into the stands. He already has two blocks in the contest.
2:49: Georges Niang just locked up Paolo Banchero in the corner and forced him to turn the ball over leading to an emphatic slam from Donovan Mitchell who screamed to the crowd and bench after.
3:18: Isaac Okoro has checked in for the Cavs. Currently on the floor: Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, and Jarrett Allen.
3:18: Georges Niang found Jarrett Allen for a strong finish and got the bench and team hyped up. He got a chest bump from J.B. Bickerstaff as he went to the sideline as the Magic needed another timeout. Cavs lead 29-19.
4:00: Donovan Mitchell’s explosiveness looked like it was back on a crossover move that led to an easy Jarrett Allen jam. It had the fans at the Rocket gasping in awe.
4:50: Darius Garland picks up his second foul in just the first quarter on a transition basket. Caris LeVert and Georges Niang are the first men off the bench for the Cavs.
7:05: The Cavs were trying to get the ball in and Darius Garland, who is being guarded by the pesky Jalen Suggs, shoved Suggs off of him and didn’t get called for a foul. Garland talked about wanting to throw the first punch with the understanding that whistles will be blown less in the playoffs than they were in the regular season.
7:36: Evan Mobley returned from arthroscopic knee surgery knowing he needed to add a 3-point shot to fit in with the Cavs’ new style and Mobley already has two 3s in the contest and has yet to miss from the floor. He’s the Cavs current leading scorer with eight points. After his latest triple, the Magic needed a timeout. Cavs lead 19-8.
7:57: The Orlando Magic are already on their third trip to the free throw line, and the Cavs understand that the Magic have their best contests when they are getting to the line and getting free opportunities at the hoop. The Cavs will need to limit their fouls or use them wisely.
9:00: As time ran out on the shot clock, Donovan Mitchell heaved a fadeaway 3-pointer and cashed it in for his sixth point of the contest. The Cavs are up 16-6 after Darius Garland and Evan Mobley added 3-pointers of their own.
11:00: Max Strus opens the scoring for the Cavs with a 3-pointer and Donovan Mitchell quickly follows with his own to jump out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. The Cavs have emphasis on their outside shot this series as it proved successful during their matchup with the Magic in the regular season.
First quarter
Pregame notes:
The Orlando Magic are starting defensive stopper Jonathan Isaac to counter the Cavs’ offense and the attempt to stifle the Twin Towers of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley from the jump.
Donovan Mitchell is playing in his newly released D.O.N. Issue No. 6, “CAMP” -- it’s an orange and blue colorway with green laces.
Everyone in attendance received a white Cavs playoff towel to take part in the whiteout for tonight’s game.
No more waiting. Game 1 of the NBA playoffs is here, and it starts in Cleveland with the Cavs taking on the Orlando Magic with tip-off at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
The Cavs know that Game 1 sets the tone for the series, and the players have been preparing all week to land the first punch.