The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to give their regulars a longer run Sunday night when they face the Orlando Magic in their second preseason game.
That could mean an early look at a fresh starting group for Cleveland, with Peyton Watson alongside James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. After the Cavs opened preseason with a loss to Boston on Thursday, head coach Kenny Atkinson said he wants more minutes from his top players as they keep building toward the regular season, which begins on Jan.
- Harden sat out the Celtics game because of right ankle soreness, but a return is on the table here.
For Cleveland, the biggest on-court issue from Thursday had nothing to do with scoring or shot-making. It was the glass.
Boston grabbed 21 offensive rebounds against the Cavaliers’ third-string group, and Atkinson didn’t sugarcoat the problem after the game, saying “rebounding is a concern heading into the season.” Sunday’s matchup with Orlando should be another direct test of that area.
The Magic come in with more pressure than most teams in the East, at least according to the source article’s view of the league landscape. Orlando has reached the postseason three straight years, but hasn’t broken through in the first round, including a loss to Cleveland in 2024. Last spring’s playoff exit still stings: the Magic led top-seeded Detroit 3-1, then blew the series, including a 24-point lead in the third quarter of Game 6 at home before getting outscored 55-19 over the final 24 minutes.
Orlando spent the offseason making a major bet on its current core, trading for Desmond Bane from Memphis at the cost of a lot of future draft compensation. The Magic also made a coaching change, moving on from Jahmal Mosley and hiring Sean Sweeney. Sweeney arrives with 15 seasons of assistant-coaching experience, including stints with the 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks and last year’s San Antonio Spurs, both NBA Finals teams.
The thinking is that Sweeney brings a defensive edge, but the source article notes Orlando’s bigger issue has been offense, not defense - a problem compared to the one Cleveland dealt with under J.B. Bickerstaff.
Cleveland fans may get their first real look at the new starting lineup on Sunday, while Orlando keeps trying to prove that this version of the team can finally turn regular-season success into playoff payoff.
Orlando Magic: Jase Richardson, Tristan da Silva, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Cleveland Cavaliers: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
In Other News...
Magic Preseason Is Already Putting Sean Sweeney On The Spot
The Magic got their preseason off to a winning start with a 122-118 victory over Memphis, and the opener offered an early look at how the rotation could take shape under Sean Sweeney. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Desmond Bane all saw the floor, giving Orlando some of its expected core pieces in action as the team begins sorting out roles before the games count.
What stood out just as much was who was missing from the mix. Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black and Noah Penda did not play, which leaves the preseason spotlight on how Orlando handles its point guard picture and where a young player like Penda might fit once the lineup starts tightening up. For a team trying to sharpen its identity, those absences make the coming games feel less like tune-ups and more like auditions. [Read more 🡒]
Franz Wagner Is Giving The Magic A New Offensive Dilemma
Franz Wagner has already started creating a new kind of problem for Orlandos offense in the preseason, and it is the kind a coaching staff usually welcomes. In the game against Memphis, he kept finding ways to put pressure on the defense as a ball-handler, and the look carried over from training camp into Sean Sweeneys broader confidence in how Wagner can help initiate things for the Magic.
Sweeney pointed to Wagners preseason work as part of the reason the staff feels good about giving him more responsibility with the ball, which adds another layer to Orlandos half-court options. The wrinkle is less about whether Wagner can handle it and more about how often the Magic want that job shared, especially with Sweeney also mentioning the teams broader communication process during games and Jon Harris role in reviewing challenge decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Center Battle Could Force A Tough Rotation Decision
Training camp has given the Magic plenty to sort through in the frontcourt, where Wendell Carter Jr., Goga Bitadze and Nikola Vucevic are all pushing for clearer roles. The competition is exactly the kind of problem Orlando wants, with each big man bringing a different look and coach Sean Sweeney weighing how that mix could shape the rotation once the games count.
For Carter, the daily work against Bitadze and Vucevic has become part of the value of camp, with the matchup variety helping sharpen his game. Bitadze, meanwhile, has viewed Carter as a tough interior presence to deal with, and that kind of back-and-forth only adds to the sense that Orlandos coaching staff may have some real decisions ahead as it tries to balance versatility, fit and minutes in the paint. [Read more 🡒]