Gilbert Arenas strikes as the Magics leave it late to see off the Cavaliers 110-95
The Orlando Magic are on a roll.
On Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the men from the South bludgeoned 19 points from downtown, as they left the Quicken Loans Arena spell bound for a 110-95 victory. After
a mini-slump in the season, which saw the Magic conceding 8-of-9, Stan Van Gundy’s tricks finally appear to be working as they managed to extend their winning streak to four games.
Leading Orlando’s charge on the night was the newly acquired Gilbert Arenas, who has started to show why the Magics were so desperate to sign him. The prolific sharp shooter notched
up his first double-double for the Magics, as he scored 22 points - including 5-of-8 from long range - and complimented it with 11 assists.
"We have shown that at any given moment that anybody can take the game over," said an overjoyed Arenas after his game-breaking effort. Fellow
new comer Jason Richardson was not far behind either. The import from the Phoenix Suns added 20 points, as the Magics sent the Wine and Gold reeling to their 14th loss in their last 15 games. The match
did not prove to be a cake-walk for the Magic though, as they faced some tough resistance from the home team throughout, and it took a vociferous surge down the stretch to seal the game.
The Cavaliers played with an intensity that's been missing for most of the season, as they got off to a belligerent start. After matching the red hot Magics offence inch for inch
in the first three minutes of play, the Cavs finally broke away with a seven point unanswered run. Mo Williams was especially in the groove, as he ripped apart the Orlando defence scoring 14 points in the first quarter. The
only thing that kept the Magics in the game during the first twelve minutes was their three-point shooting, as they knocked down seven to hold the Cavaliers at 30-33.
The second quarter saw the Magics up their ante from the field as well, as they began to clamp down the Cleveland offence. The match was tied early in the quarter and the trend continued
throughout, until J.J. Reddick banged in a three pointer a second before the buzzer to hand the Magic a 60-57 advantage. The deadlock ensued in the third frame as neither team was willing to hand over
the advantage. Cleveland led by three with less than five minutes to go until the final quarter, when the Magics rattled a 9-0 spurt to sprint to a 75-69 advantage. The Cavaliers however were quick to respond and blazed away with a 5-0 surge of their own to
make it a single point game going into the last twelve minutes.
The fourth quarter marked the period in which the Magic completely turned the tide in their favour. In a 35-point onslaught, Ryan Anderson started the show with two shots from beyond
the arc to set the tone and after Ramon Sessions countered for the Cavs with two consecutive buckets, Earl Clark and Hedo Turkoglu took over. The Magics shot 13 of 22 from the field and 7-of-10 from
long range, as they turned a close match into a romp and Arenas provided the finishing stroke in style, ripping in two from downtown. Antawn Jamison led Cleveland with 21 points, while Daniel Gibson
scored 15 points and six boards. Anderson Varejao and Mo Williams chipped in with 14 apiece, but the Cavaliers lost the plot in the fourth quarter as they failed to arrest their downward slide.
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