Magic crumble in 2nd half in Cleveland as season ends

CLEVELAND — Paolo Banchero became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 30-plus points in three or more games of the same playoff series but his tremendous efforts weren’t enough against the Cavaliers in Orlando‘s first trip back to the postseason in four years.

Banchero, who totaled 38 points during Sunday’s Game 7, was one of just 3 players on Jamahl Mosley’s squad to finish in double figures (Wendell Carter Jr. 13, Jalen Suggs 10) as Cleveland advanced past Orlando 106-94 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Magic led by as many as 18 points in the first half but crumbled after the break as Cleveland’s offense found its footing in the third quarter behind the prolific scoring of All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell, who led all scorers with 39.

“They went on a heck of a run,” Mosley said about the Cavs after the season-ending loss. “They did a great job of forcing tough shots. Donovan got downhill quite a bit.”

Cleveland, who was without starting center Jarrett Allen (right rib contusion) for Games 5, 6 and 7, won all four of its games in the best-of-seven series at home.

With the 12-point road loss in Game 7, Orlando’s otherwise successful season comes to a close.

“It doesn’t define us,” Banchero said of the loss. “This is our first time in the playoffs. I’m just proud of how we played, and I know we’ll be back.”

The Magic won at least 47 games for the first time since 2011 and was only a contest away from winning its first playoff series in 14 years.

But what hurt Orlando all season long — reliable 3-point shooting — limited their offense again Sunday. The Magic shot 32.3% (10 of 31) from beyond the arc in a must-win game. That included Franz Wagner (0 of 5 from 3), who finished with 6 points.

The Magic got stagnant as they settled for long-range shots. And as Orlando shot 2 of 11 from 3-point range in the third quarter, the Cavs shot 4 of 5, which included a trio of 3s from sharpshooter Max Strus.

Cleveland outscored Orlando 33-15 during a third quarter that saw the Cavs shoot 61% (11 of 18) from the field and the Magic a lowly 17% (4 of 24). As Mitchell — who had 17 points in the frame — powered Cleveland’s offense, the Magic couldn’t find an answer.

“We had a moment when the clock was running down and he just told me he has a lot of respect for me,” Banchero said of Mitchell.

What comes next for the Magic is an offseason filled with tough questions and decisions for Orlando’s front office.

How will the Magic address their clear shooting problem? The team shot 35.2% from 3 (24th out of 30), which was only slightly better than last season’s 34.6% mark that also was 24th league-wide.

Will the franchise feel the need to make a push to land a major free agent to build around its core of Banchero, Suggs and Wagner? Names include the Clippers’ Paul George (player option with L.A. for ’24-25), Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Sacramento’s Malik Monk, among others who could help.

Orlando has money to spend if it wants — as much as $32 million projected in cap space depending on other roster choices that could be made this summer.

What about Markelle Fultz? The long-time Magic guard is one of three unrestricted free agents for Orlando this offseason, alongside veteran Gary Harris and reserve center Goga Bitadze.

If the Magic don’t extend 2019 first-round pick Chuma Okeke a qualifying offer, he’d become an unrestricted free agent, too.

There’s also veteran newcomer Joe Ingles and backup center Moe Wagner, who both have team options (June 29 deadline) for next season.

And don’t forget June’s NBA Draft. Orlando has two picks — No. 18 in the first round and No. 47 in the second — but after a season that saw lottery-pick Jett Howard spend most of his time in the G League, will the Magic add two more rookies to the mix?

Regardless, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman set out to learn more about the current makeup of the roster after not making a move ahead of February’s trade deadline and he likely has enough information to make the decisions that are ahead of him.

Orlando showed on a national stage in a seven-game series with Cleveland that it’s a tough-nosed gritty squad that is built for the future, and the Magic feel confident about returning to the playoffs again.

“We won’t be walking into next season’s playoffs and have people questioning our ability to have done it before,” forward Jonathan Isaac said. “We took a good team to a Game 7 and we’ll be able to have that chip on our shoulder leading into next season.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com