Cavs vs. Magic: Orlando beats shorthanded Cavaliers; see how it unfolded

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers return to the court following the All-Star break looking to carry their momentum into the home stretch of the season.

Winners of 18 of their last 20 games, the Cavs (36-17) were the hottest team in the NBA through January and February. Up first following the All-Star break, which might have been somewhat unwelcome considering the hot streak: the Orlando Magic (30-25) and a 7 p.m. tip-off Thursday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Keep checking back throughout the game for updates and analysis as the action unfolds in Cleveland.

Below are updates from the game.

Magic beat Cavs 116-109

It’s unclear at this point why Mo Wagner was so mad all night, but he had a heck of a game, scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Max Strus finished with 18 pounds, four rebounds and six assists. Jarrett Allen had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Mo Wagner extends Orlando lead with 3-pointer against Cavs, continues chirping

Mo Wagner has seemed amped up and pretty angry all night. After almost every basket, he’s chirped with J.B. Bickerstaff. Replays have also shown that he’s thrown a few elbows, which Bickerstaff has complained about to the refs, but to no avail.

Wagner just hit a 3 to extend the Magic lead to 107-97 with just 3:56 left and stared down the Cavs’ bench while yelling, or perhaps roaring, might be the better description.

Max Strus block, Isaac Okoro dunk trims Magic lead

It was Max Strus (I mean, of course it was) who finally came through with the first energy play for the Cavs tonight.

Strus came away with a block of Jonathan Isaac at the rim, and Jarrett Allen followed with another block, which eventually led to an Isaac Okoro dunk at the other end to cut Orlando’s lead to 100-93 with 6:56 left. And the energy in the building has picked up exponentially.

Magic pulling away from the short-handed Cavs in fourth quarter

With Mitchell sidelined, the Cavs have had a balanced scoring attack, but nobody has been able to really step up and fill that void.

All five starters are in double figures, but nobody has more than 15 points, with Okoro still leading the way.

meanwhile, Wagner is still somehow involved in a weird. He drew a shooting foul, and replays in the arena showed that it should have been a call for out-of-bounds and Cavs ball.

The Magic have opened up a 100-89 lead with 8:20 left. The Cavs need somebody to really step up. Mitchell ain’t walking through that door.

Evan Mobley, Moritz Wagner going back and forth

J.B. Bickerstaff and Wagner have each drown technical fouls over the last couple minutes.

Wagner, while driving, put his shoulder into Mobley and pretty clearly shoved off, but Mobley was called for a shooting foul. Bickerstaff quickly drew a tech while Wagner walked around shrugging his shoulders.

Wagner then drew a technical foul while appearing to point and yell at somebody, possibly a fan.

Bickerstaff’s technical foul was well earned, as replays showed it was a questionable call at best. Wagner’s was totally unnecessary.

Jalen Suggs heads to locker room with injury; Cavs take the lead

The Magic received a double-dose of bad news midway through the third quarter. First, Jalen Suggs was injured near the rim and might have been hit in the head. He's heading toward to the Orlando locker room.

Not long after, Evan Mobley grabbed an offensive rebound and found Darius Garland at the top of the key, who drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cavs the lead, 65-64. Garland then added a layup, and the Cavs now have a 68-66 advantage.

Cavs nearly erase Magic lead, trail just 64-62

It won't happen often, but Isaac Okoro is leading the Cavs' offense. He's got a team-high 13 points, and along with Max Strus' 11 and Jarrett Allen's 12 and 8 rebounds, the Cavs have chipped away at Orlando's lead.

With Mitchell out, the Cavs' rotations have looked different than they had in the past, the offense has looked a bit out of sorts. But finally, Okoro and Strus have added a dose of energy and movement that has been lacking so far tonight.

Cavaliers trail Magic 54-50 at halftime

This building is about as quiet as you'll ever hear for a half of basketball in Cleveland. There just hasn't been much to warrant the crowd getting on its feet.

Jarrett Allen is having his usual night in the box score with 10 points and seven rebounds at the half. Darius Garland has just three points and two assists. Evan Mobley quickly scored six points in the first quarter and has been stuck on that number ever since. Max Strus and Caris LeVert have six points apiece.

Isaac Okoro has eight points, and while he's having a pretty efficient offensive game thus far, the Cavs likely don't often want to see him near the top of their point scorers on a given night.

Wendell Carter Jr. leads the Magic with 10 points. Moritz Wagner has nine points and four rebounds off the bench.

It feels surprising that the Cavs are only down four.

Magic lead Cavaliers 45-33 midway through second quarter

To put it simply: The Cavs look like a team coming off of an extended break while playing without their best player. To put it even simpler, in one word: lethargic.

Darius Garland is still scoreless tonight. The Cavs are still just shooting 41 percent from the floor. The Magic are cruising. The energy for the Cavs just doesn't seem to be there yet.

Cavaliers Magic score: Orland leads Cleveland 29-24 after first quarter

Well, with both teams coming out of the All-Star break, that wasn't exactly the cleanest, or prettiest, offensive quarter you've ever seen.

The Cavs are shooting just 40 percent from the floor. One might have thought Darius Garland would have grabbed hold of a larger share of the offensive production with Mitchell out, though Garland is still in the process of returning from an injury.

Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff noted before the game that they were aware of how difficult it can be for someone like Garland to return to his rhythm when he's playing limited minutes in spurts.

Donovan Mitchell is out with an illness against Orlando Magic

The Cavs will, in fact, be without Mitchell tonight. Banchero, also questionable with an illness, is in the lineup for the Magic. Isaac Okoro received the start with Mitchell sidelined.

Max Strus is the only Cavs player to start all 54 games this season.

The Magic, meanwhile, started out about as hot as Banchero's neon-yellow shoes, but quickly cooled. After jumping out to a 12-8 lead within the first couple minutes, Evan Mobley responded with six points of his own to tie it 12-12 midway through the first quarter.

What is the Cavaliers-Magic injury report for tonight?

The Cavs will be without star guard Donovan Mitchell, who is out with an illness. Tristan Thompson is still out while he serves his 25-game suspension.

For the Magic, forward Paolo Banchero is questionable with an illness. Guard Markelle Fultz is out with a knee injury.

How can I watch, stream or listen to Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings?

The game will be televised locally on Bally Sports Ohio and broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter and Threads at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs fall to Orlando Magic in first game back after All-Star