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The booming voice of public address announcer Paul Porter filled the air.
The confetti fell down on the court inside Kia Center.
The fans stood in ovation for the Magic.
Orlando had done it.
Behind a game-high 31 points from Paolo Banchero, the Magic overcame back-to-back low-scoring losses on the road at Cleveland and dominated the Cavs at home 121-83 to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the first round playoff series between the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the East on Thursday.
In the process, Banchero (21 years-165 days) became the the second-youngest player in NBA history to debut the postseason with 3 straight 20-plus point games. He trails only LeBron James (21-119).
This time around, however, the first-time All-Star had much-needed help when Jalen Suggs (24 points) sunk three triples to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and steals. Franz Wanger had 16 points and 8 assists while Markelle Fultz added 11 points off the bench.
But the work doesn’t stop. It can’t stop if the Magic want to further extend the first round series.
Orlando hosts Game 4 on Saturday (Bally Sports Florida/TNT, 1) and looks to avoid falling down 3-1 in the series before heading back to Cleveland on Tuesday for Game 5.
In 281 tries, only 13 teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit.
Lineup change
After starting Jonathan Isaac in the first two contests of the playoff series, Mosley went back to Wendell Carter Jr. for Game 3.
Orlando’s most successful starting lineup during the regular season, Orlando went 14-3 when Carter, Suggs, Wagner, Banchero and Gary Harris started together.
Once it was made clear in Cleveland that starting Isaac wasn’t going to work the way Mosley intended — the Cavs outrebounded the Magic by 14 in the Game 1 and 7 in Game 2 — Mosley felt the need to return to what worked well ahead of the postseason.
And the decision paid off.
Although Carter only grabbed 5 rebounds in the third meeting, his impact went beyond the stat sheet. The Magic center helped box out the likes of Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley while setting strong screens compared to Isaac.
The Magic (51 boards) outrebounded the Cavs (32) by 19 and that included 14 offensive rebounds.
Strong start
The change in the starting five made a difference but so did Orlando’s ability to weather the storm early and play patient basketball.
The Magic missed their first six triples before Wagner and Suggs drilled back-to-back 3-pointers five minutes into the first quarter.
From there, the floor gates opened as Wagner and Banchero each had 10 points in the opening frame and Orlando totaled 31 points in the first frame while limiting Cleveland to 21.
The Magic only had 26 points in the first quarter of Game 1 and an even lower 18 to begin Game 2.
On Thursday, however, Orlando used a 28-11 to end the first quarter and never relinquished its lead.
Anthony’s action
Following a scoreless Game 2 and only 4 points in Game 1, Magic guard Cole Anthony pieced together 10 off the bench in 16 minutes.
That included 8 points in the second quarter when Anthony found his spots for pull-up jump shots and attacked the paint searching to score.
His performance was part of a larger effort by Orlando’s all-bench unit (Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Joe Ingles, Isaac and Moe Wagner) that opened the second quarter and held its own before Mosley began to trickle back in his starters.
In the end, the Magic’s reserves outscored Cleveland’s 46-36. Orlando’s bench totaled 39 points combined between Game 1 and 2 on the road.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/26/orlando-magic-cleveland-cavaliers-paolo-banchero-jalen-suggs-franz-wagner-jason-beede-nba-playoffs/
The Post’s sports staff weighs in with grades after the Denver Broncos drafted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick on Day 1 of the NFL Draft.
Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat writer
Grade: B-
The gut reaction to this pick is going to be almost entirely driven by the strength of trust in Sean Payton to pick a quarterback. The fact that Nix was the sixth of the perceived top six selected Thursday will either prove Payton and the Broncos’ evaluation process to be a terrific one or it will end up looking like desperation. That makes Nix, far from a sure bet to turn into an upper-echelon player at the NFL level, a fascinating case study going forward.
Ryan McFadden, Broncos beat writer
Grade: B-
Going into the draft, it felt like Denver couldn’t walk away without a quarterback. But taking Bo Nix at No. 12 seems like a reach. Unless the Broncos thought the Raiders would take him at No. 13, they could’ve tried to obtain more picks and still taken Nix after trading back. Nix fits Sean Payton’s offense, and his experience (61 college starts) gives him a chance to be a Week 1 starter. But Broncos Country will need to put its full trust in Payton that he knows something that others don’t.
Troy Renck, sports columnist
Grade: B
There was no way the Broncos could rationalize leaving the first round without a quarterback. The AFC demands it. In Nix, Sean Payton landed a quarterback with maturity, intelligence, a quick release and a talent for avoiding sacks. Is he Drew Brees? That’s not fair. But could an athletic game manager be capable of keeping the offense on schedule? Yes. The USC game film provides reason to believe. His Auburn career creates pause. But at some point, you have to trust Payton. And all he’s done is stake his legacy to Nix.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist
Grade: B+
Is the kid a reach at 12? Yup. Is Michael Penix Jr. better? Yup. Not every NFL braintrust loves Bo Nix as much as Sean Payton did, but that’s OK. Even if Nix is more Checkdown Charlie than Drew Brees II, this was a statement of intent. On Day 1, the Broncos didn’t come away from the best QB draft in ages empty-handed. You don’t get big victories in this league without making some small ones first.
Matt Schubert, sports editor
Grade: B
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Broncos headquarters Thursday night. Was Bo Nix the Broncos’ guy all along? Or did Atlanta turn this thing upside down when it took Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8? It’ll be a long time before we get answers to those questions — if ever. Brock Bowers may very well spend the next eight years shredding the Broncos defense in silver and black. And he was right there for the taking at No. 12. Get ready for that to be one of the many measurements of success with this pick.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
https://www.denverpost.com/2024/04/25/broncos-nfl-draft-2024-day-1-grades/
By FRED GOODALL (AP Sports Writer)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers bolstered their offensive line on Thursday night, addressing a need by selecting Duke center Graham Barton with the 26th pick in the NFL draft.
The Bucs are coming off a third consecutive NFC South championship and a franchise-record fourth straight playoff appearance.
With Baker Mayfield leading the way as the successor to Tom Brady at quarterback, the team won five of six games heading into the postseason, where they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild-card matchup before losing to the Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional round.
General manager Jason Licht’s primary focus this offseason has been retaining as many of the team’s own free agents as possible, including Mayfield (three years, $100 million), franchise career receiving leader Mike Evans (two years, $52 million) and veteran linebacker Lavonte David, who signed a one-year deal to return for a 13th season.
Negotiations targeting a long-term deal for All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., as well as a contract extension for Pro Bowl tackle Tristan Wirfs are ongoing.
But with edge rusher Shaquil Barrett released in a salary-cap move, inside linebacker Devin White and guard Aaron Stinnie departing via free agency, and cornerback Carlton Davis III traded to Detroit, there are some holes to fill for next season.
The offensive line is one of them, where the Bucs lost Stinnie and Robert Hainsey has filled for an injured Ryan Jensen at center the past two seasons.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/25/buccaneers-add-offensive-line-help-select-duke-c-graham-barton-in-nfl-draft/
MIAMI GARDENS —The Miami Dolphins selected Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Here are some things to know about the Dolphins’ first-round pick:
Name: Chop Robinson
Pos./round: Edge rusher/1st round (No. 21)
School: Penn State
Year: Junior
Ht: 6-3; Wt: 254
Hometown: Gaithersburg, Md.
Comment: First name is Demeioun but he was nicknamed “Pork Chop” because he was 11 pounds at birth, and the nickname was later shortened. …
“He looked like a baby sumo wrestler,” his father, John Robinson told The Athletic in 2022. “One of my neighbors was like, ‘Oh, look at Pork Chop,’ and then it kind of stuck and we kept calling him ‘Pork Chop.’ He was a fat baby. By about 4, he started to grow upward and it stretched him out. He got another nickname, which is ‘Plump.’ In Little League football and all that, he was known as ‘Plump.’ ” . …
Robinson should be a Day One starter if veterans Bradley Chubb (knee) and Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) aren’t ready following their season-ending injuries. …
Last season Robinson had 15 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. …
Robinson was a first-team All Big Ten selection last season and a third-team All-America selection. …
Robinson started his college career at Maryland at 2021 and had 19 tackles and 2.0 sacks. …
Robinson ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. …
Robinson joins a line of Dolphins defensive line products from Penn State that includes defensive ends Cam Wake and Jared Odrick. …
The Dolphins might have had their eye on other edge rushers but UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Florida State’s Jared Verse were selected shortly before Robinson was selected.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/25/fast-facts-learn-more-about-dolphins-first-round-pick-chop-robinson/
By MARK LONG (AP Pro Football Writer)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville traded down six spots and drafted LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, continuing to build around franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Adding the 6-foot-3, 209-pound Thomas should help offset the loss of Calvin Ridley to division rival Tennessee in free agency and give the Jaguars a chance to have a legitimate No. 1 receiver for the first time since Jimmy Smith retired following the 2005 season.
Thomas led the Bowl Subdivision with 17 receiving touchdowns last season. He finished with 68 catches for 1,177 yards, averaging a whopping 17.3 yards a reception.
He joins a position group that includes Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Zay Jones. No one would be surprised to see him become Lawrence’s go-to guy at some point, maybe in 2024.
Jacksonville signed Davis to a three-year, $39 million contract that included $24 million guaranteed. Kirk is scheduled to count $24.2 million against the salary cap. Kirk and Jones both missed games last year.
It is the second consecutive year the Jaguars used their first-round pick to help Lawrence. They chose Oklahoma standout Anton Harrison with the 27th pick in 2023. Harrison stepped in at right tackle and was the team’s best lineman as a rookie.
They further bolstered the O-line by signing veteran center Mitch Morse in free agency and re-signing left guard Ezra Cleveland.
But hitting on receivers have been a weakness for the Jags. They’ve repeatedly dropped the ball.
They have selected nine wideouts over the first three rounds of the NFL draft in three decades of existence, and only two of those guys (DJ Chark and Allen Robinson) notched 1,000-yard seasons and just one (Marqise Lee) signed a second contract with Jacksonville.
It’s been a head-scratching stretch of futility the Jags hope to end with Thomas.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/25/jaguars-select-lsu-wr-brian-thomas-jr-in-the-nfl-draft-giving-qb-trevor-lawrence-a-big-target/
