Cavs vs Magic Game 2 score, highlights: Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen lead Cavaliers to win
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers will take a 2-0 series lead to Orlando.
The Cavs rolled over the Magic 96-86 in Monday night's Game 2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Magic again struggled to get much of anything going on the offensive end of the floor. The difference between Games 1 and 2, though, is the Cavs this time pulled away and held a comfortable double-digit lead until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Magic closed the gap to single digits.
The Cavaliers knew they'd need the best version of Donovan Mitchell, and they got it in the first half when he poured in 19 points to build off his 30-point Game 1 performance. Mitchell finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Darius Garland effectively buried the Magic in the second half as he caught fire near the end of the third quarter and in the beginning of the fourth. His key 3-pointer extended the Cavs' lead to 85-65 with only nine minutes to go, and he followed it up with another basket to put the Magic in a deep hole from which they could not climb out.
Garland ended with 15 points, three rebounds and four assists.
Jarrett Allen has 20-rebound night in Cavaliers Game 2 win over Orlando Magic
Jarrett Allen had a tremendous night in the boards, finishing with 16 points and 20 rebounds after he and Evan Mobley played a critical role in the Game 1 win Saturday afternoon. Allen's 20 rebounds tied for the second most in a single playoff game in Cavaliers history, behind only Kevin Love's 21 in 2017.
Game 2 didn't end up being as chippy as Game 1, though Magic forward Franz Wagner did appear to trade words with a Cavaliers fan in the fourth quarter before being pulled away by a referee. The second half was also much more physical than the first.
Mortiz Wagner went into the stands and made contact with Garland. A fan, sitting courtside, had to be tended to and later walked off the floor. One of the biggest cheers of the entire night came late in the fourth quarter, when Wagner fouled out of the game.
The Magic shot just 36 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point range, as they've been ice cold to begin this opening-round series.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs left the game in the first half with a left knee strain but returned in the third quarter.
Games 3 and 4 are set for 7 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Saturday, respectively, in Orlando.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers vs Magic score, highlights, Cleveland wins Game 2
