The Cavaliers fall to Orlando Magic at home
The Cavaliers were defeated 114-93 by the visiting Orlando Magic. The offense continued its search for chemistry on the young season. Dwayne Wade, most notably, struggled from the field. He shot only 25 percent during his 16 minutes on the court. Wade also had difficulties distributing the ball. He was unable to create passing opportunities on and off the ball.
Jose Calderon saw only five minutes of action after getting the start in place of the injured Derrick Rose. Like Wade, Calderon seemed to be struggling to find his home in the offense. He did not appear ready to be running the offense. As the point Guard, the Cavs are expecting better game management from him.
Once it became clear that the game plan wasn’t working, Lebron James took control of the first Half. James won cheers from an otherwise frustrated crowd driving in the paint. He drew a pair of and-ones at the end of the quarter and finished it with 14 of the Cavs 18 points.
Kevin Love came through in the second quarter to help James with the scoring load. Love went 6-13 in the quarter. The Magic held a 22-point lead over the Cavs at one point, but James’ and Love’s combined 18-point scoring effort brought the team within 11 by the half time break. The cavalier defense was slightly more successful in the second quarter, holding the Magic to 6-21 from the field.
After the break, it was back to all Magic. Iman Shumpart took advantage of the opportunity to get some work in. He finished the game with 21 points, shooting 80 percent from beyond the arc, and making 7-10 free throws. It is worth noting that he shot only 5-14 from field goals. He will look to improve on that number.
The Cavs play again Tuesday October 24. They will host the Chicago Bulls.