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Donovan Mitchell-led Cavaliers rally from 18 down, win series over Magic
Mitchell, who scored 17 points in the third quarter, made 15 of 17 free-throw attempts and added nine rebounds. His scintillating performance came on the heels of a 50-point effort in Cleveland’s 103-96 loss in Orlando on Friday, reported Reuters.
Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Max Strus added 13 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who overcame an 18-point deficit to record their fourth win at home in the series.
Cleveland, which posted its first playoff series win in six years, will visit the top-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Tuesday. The Celtics captured two of the three meetings in the regular season.
The Cavaliers won despite playing without All-Star center Jarrett Allen (rib contusion) for the third straight game.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero collected 38 points and 16 rebounds while playing in his first career Game 7.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 13 points and Jalen Suggs had 10 points and nine rebounds for the fifth-seeded Magic, who mustered just 15 points in the third quarter.
Franz Wagner made just 1 of 15 shots to finish with six points while dealing with early foul trouble for the Magic.
The Cavaliers shaved an 18-point deficit to 10 at halftime before Mitchell erupted for 17 points in the third quarter, capped by a driving layup to stake Cleveland to a 68-66 lead with 3:08 left. Suggs answered with a pair of free throws before Strus sank back-to-back 3-pointers.
Mitchell and Darius Garland each made a 3-pointer to increase the Cavaliers’ lead to 88-77 with 5:53 left in the fourth quarter. The Magic trimmed their deficit to seven before Garland sank a pair of free throws and a short jumper to send Cleveland on its way.
Orlando scored 13 and nine straight points at separate junctures to seize a 33-18 lead early in the second quarter. The Magic pumped that advantage up to 18 at 47-29 following a 3-pointer from Gary Harris before the Cavaliers answered with a 14-6 run to end the quarter.