Cavs remain undefeated in playoff rematch with 120-109 win over Orlando Magic

In front of a national television audience, the Cavs once again defeated the undermanned Orlando Magic 120-109 on Friday evening. Cleveland is 6-0 this season, just two wins away from matching the best start in franchise history.

There were elements on Friday night that caused flashbacks to late April. A chorus of boos for Cleveland villain Mo Wagner. Hard fouls. Jaws in play. Post-game chatter. physicality. The scoreboard.

There was bad blood everywhere – and not just because it flowed from Magic guard Jalen Suggs' arm at some point in the first half.

But with Cleveland on a historic run to open the season and Orlando missing two starters – leading scorer Paolo Banchero (oblique) and Wendell Carter Jr. (knee) – the Magic couldn't keep up.

Thanks to another tone-setting first quarter, the Cavs quickly shot to the top, outscoring Orlando 34-16. There were no lead changes and only one draw. Cleveland's largest lead grew to 22 points, and the closest Orlando could get to a pesky lead in the second half was 10.

Once the Magic began to threaten late in the third quarter, the Cavs sank a trio of 3-pointers in the final two-plus minutes and extended their lead to 17 early in the fourth quarter. At the 3:58 mark of the fourth quarter, both coaches retired their starters, with Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson giving two forwards Luke Travers, who played for the first time all season, his first NBA minutes.

Travers scored his first NBA points by hitting two free throws just 11 seconds after checking in. Then came his first NBA basket — a searing dunk at the 2:28 mark.

All 13 registered players fired at least one shot.

The undefeated Cavs were led by point guard Darius Garland, who had a forgettable playoff series against Orlando. On the night, Garland scored a team-high 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting and 3 of 9 from 3-point range and had four assists, three rebounds, one block and one steal in 29 minutes despite battling foul trouble had .

Garland's backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell, who also struggled with foul trouble throughout, added 22 points. Evan Mobley contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The sixth man, Caris LeVert, once again secured the position on the newly designed bench with 13 points. Cleveland's bench outscored Orlando's 52-36.

Short-handed Orlando was led by Suggs, who finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Franz Wagner, a nemesis from Cleveland in the first round, had 17 points on just 8 of 19 shooting. His brother Mo scored 14 points and five boards.

Early Friday, several players spoke about the impressive start, with the Cavs ranking near the top of the league in many meaningful statistical categories. But they also admitted that there is still another level to reach. The goal is daily consistency and continuing to build championship habits for the coming spring. Qualified Friday.

One victory after another.

Next

The Cavs play the Bucks in Milwaukee for the second straight game on Saturday night. The meeting point is scheduled for 8 p.m