Cavs can’t stop winning, shellack Magic 122-82

The Cavaliers extend their winning streak to eight games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their revenge tour against recent playoff opponents. On Friday they blew out the New York Knicks on national TV. Tonight, they did the same to the Orlando Magic with a resounding 122-82 victory for their eighth win in a row.

The Cavs jumped on the Magic early by outscoring them 34-16 in the opening frame. The Cavaliers' offense was clicking on all cylinders as they nailed six of their 13 threes in the first quarter. More importantly, they held Orlando to just 18% shooting in the initial quarter (4-22) which allowed them to create the separation that they did.

The Magic fought back some in the second quarter as they cut the deficit down to 14 heading into the half, but a strong start to the third from the Cavs put the game out of reach for good. Even so, Cleveland kept their foot on the gas as they pushed their advantage to as much as 42 in the fourth quarter.

It was a complete beatdown.

That was reflected in the box score. The Cavaliers connected on 59.4% of their threes (19-32) while holding the Magic to just 36.7% shooting from the floor and 5-28 (17.9%) from distance.

Ty Jerome continued his torrid run. He led the team with 20 points on 7-12 shooting in just 21 minutes of play. This was the seventh time he’s totaled 15 or more points in his last 12 games. This includes scoring 15 or more in four of his last five contests. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore him in the Sixth Man of the Year race.

The Cavs had three players finish with 17 points: Max Strus (5-7 from three), Evan Mobley (6-9 from the field), and De’Andre Hunter (4-5 from three). Donovan Mitchell had 11 points on 5-12 shooting with five helpers.

Isaac Okoro started in place of Darius Garland (hip) for the second consecutive game and adequately filled in. He had his best performance since his shoulder injury in mid-December as he was assertive on offense while playing good defense. Okoro supplied eight points in 24 minutes of play.

Javonte Green made his Cavalier debut. He provided four points and three rebounds in six garbage time minutes.

Orlando was led by Paolo Banchero. He totaled 26 points on 9-22 shooting. Franz Wagner was the only other Magic player to finish with double-digit points as he added in 19.

As was the case Friday, this showing highlighted how far the Cavs have come in a short time. Every basket was a struggle in last year’s playoffs against Orlando. Tonight, they effortlessly hung 122 points on the second-best defense in the entire league.

Cleveland matched their win total of 48 with the victory on Tuesday. They also have a six-and-a-half-game lead over the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs will travel to face those Celtics on Friday. Tip-off is at 7:30.