Yardbarker
x
Magic dominate the offensive glass to force Game 7
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero controls the ball in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Donovan Mitchell's 50-burger goes to waste as Magic dominate the offensive glass to force Game 7

Donovan Mitchell scored 50 points and the Cavaliers shot over 50 percent, but the Magic stole Game 6 with offensive rebounding.

Cole Anthony got a big offensive rebound and putback late to keep Orlando ahead with two minutes to go, and the Magic forced a Game 7 with a 103-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was one of 15 Orlando offensive boards in the game, compared to seven for Cleveland, two of which came in the game’s last eight seconds with the game out of reach.

The Cavs were able to force misses late, but their inability to collect the rebounds doomed them. After stealing the ball from Mitchell late, Paolo Banchero (27 points) missed a three-pointer, but Jonathan Isaac corralled the miss and Banchero hit two free throws.

With just over four minutes left, Jalen Suggs grabbed a Wendell Carter Jr. miss and hit a three-pointer of his own.

Overall, five different Magic players grabbed offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter and turned them into nine points. That countered Mitchell’s monster game, where he scored 50 points on 22-of-36 shooting.

Franz Wagner had 26 points for Orlando and hit all 11 of his free throws, while his brother Mo only scored two points, but got five offensive rebounds.

Ultimately, Cleveland lost because Mitchell scored 50 and the rest of the team managed only 46 — and holding Orlando to 39 percent shooting doesn’t matter as much when the Cavs couldn't rebound the misses.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.