2 Studs and 1 Dud from Cavaliers’ wire-to-wire win over Magic – King James Gospel

For the first time since their championship season in 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-0 to start the season. The Cavs came out flawless in their 120-109 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night in their playoff rematch.

With that said, a lot of things went right for the Cavs on the night. What shined the most in Cleveland’s win and what do they need to work on? Here are two herds and a dude from the Cavs’ win over the Magic.

It’s funny what eating real food and not being underweight does to you. Through six games this season, it’s safe to say that the Darius Garland obituaries that were written after last season have been greatly exaggerated.

Garland finished with 25 points on eight-of-16 shooting and made three 3-pointers against the Magic. It was his second 25-point game this week (34 against the Knicks on Monday).

Garland has looked more confident and assertive this young season and looks like the GM of old. He shoots without hesitation and his playmaking is a huge reason why the Cavs offense is such a well-oiled machine. He was the perfect backfield partner for Donovan Mitchell.

Another player who stepped up significantly to start the year, LeVert continued his hot play against the Magic. He finished with 12 points and tied for the game high in assists with seven. He did a great job setting the table for his teammates all night.

With Max Struss out for the next few weeks, LeVert knew he had to step up, even if it meant not making the starting lineup. He’s been efficient and under control this season, which has been huge for Cleveland.

He is the Swiss Army Knife of the team and his impact was felt on the night as the Cavs were +18 in LeVert’s 22 minutes.

The Cavs held the Magic to 109 points, 33 percent shooting from three-point range and forced 14 turnovers. However, they also committed 21 team fouls and ten of those came from their starting backcourt in Garland and Mitchell.

Cleveland was undisciplined at times on the night and went through stretches on defense where they bailed Orlando out with a bad foul. The Magic were in the bonus for the final eight minutes of the third quarter.

That might sound nitpicky, but it’s something the Cavs need to clean up. Garland and Mitchell in particular can have no foul trouble against better teams as they are the engines of the team’s offense.