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For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword.
The Cleveland Cavaliers should be confident after their last couple of outings, even if their last one was a loss. They fell short of a come-from-behind victory over the Boston Celtics, coming back from a 22-point deficit to trail by just two points with under two minutes remaining. The Celtics were able to hold on and gut out the win, but the Cavaliers did take the previous matchup, splitting the home-and-home series. They fought back from an 11-point deficit in the final four minutes of that game to take the win.
Either way, they've got a much tougher game on their hands on Friday, as they hit the road to take on the Orlando Magic. A saving grace? Orlando hasn't been playing anywhere near their best football of late, having lost four games in a row before their last outing, where they finally snapped the streak. They haven't won back-to-back games since they took five in a row in early-to-mid January.
Orlando beat Washington 109-103 on Wednesday to move to 13-9 on the season. They did struggle against the Wizards, with 11 turnovers in the first half, and barely held on to their lead at the end of the game, despite a monster performance from Dwight Howard, who had 23 points and 18 rebounds. It will be an interesting kind of game, with the Magic not exactly oozing confidence and the Cavaliers fighting hard for that elusive .500 record.
For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.
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Cavaliers Vs. Magic Final Score: Big Fourth Quarter Can't Save Cleveland In 102-94 Loss
The Cleveland Cavaliers (8-12), losers of seven of their last nine, shot 29-percent in the first half against the Orlando Magic (13-9) and trailed by 11 at the half, but had a terrific fourth quarter in which they scored 41 points (!) to pull within five in the final two minutes. Unfortunately, Hedo Turkoglu hit a bucket and Antawn Jamison missed a three to all but seal it. Then, Dwight Howard hit three free throws to really seal it.
Cleveland finished shooting 37-percent and had 11 turnovers, but outrebounded the Magic 57-45 despite making one less shot; the Cavs had more fast break points; and they outscored Orlando 46-36 in the paint. Orlando hit 25 free throws and were stingy with the ball and on defense, holding Cleveland to just 53 points through the first three quarters.
Alonzo Gee led the Cavs off the bench with 20 points. Kyrie Irving was 7-for-21 shooting and had 18 points and six assists. Dwight Howard had 19 points, 16 rebounds, and eight blocks.
For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.
Feb 03 9:10p by Brian Packey